Alert against incidents of ‘Blackmail’ and ‘Digital Arrest’ by Cyber Criminals Impersonating State/UT Police, NCB, CBI, RBI and Law Enforcement Agencies
Sanasam Bronson
A large number of complaints are being reported on National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) regarding intimidation, blackmail, extortion and “Digital Arrests” by cyber criminals posing as Police Authorities, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Department, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate and other Law Enforcement Agencies.These fraudsters typically call a potential victim and inform that the victim has sent or is the intended recipient of a parcel, which contains illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or any other contraband item. Sometimes, they also inform that a near or dear one of the victim has been found to be involved in a crime or an accident and is in their custody. A demand for money is made to compromise the “case”. In certain instances, unsuspecting victims are made to undergo “Digital Arrest” and remain visually available over Skype or other video conferencing platform to the fraudsters, till their demands are met. The fraudsters are known to use studios modeled on Police Stations and Government offices and wear uniforms to appear genuine.Across the country, several victims have lost large amounts of money to such criminals. This is an organized online economic crime and is learnt to be operated by cross-border crime syndicates.MHA is closely working with other Ministries and their agencies, RBI and other organizations to counter these frauds. I4C is also providing inputs and technical support to Police Authorities of States/UTs for identifying and investigating the cases.