Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the nation about the rise in digital arrest scams during his recent Mann ki Baat address. In a shocking revelation, Indians lost Rs 120.3 crore in the digital arrest fraud during the first quarter of 2024. According to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) data, around 7.4 lakh cybercrime complaints were received in the Q1, 2024. 46% of these digital frauds included digital arrests, trading scams, investment scams (task based) and romance/dating scams.
According to an Indian Express report that quoted Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Kumar, victims lost a cumulative amount of Rs 1,776 crore to these scams. Victims lost Rs 1,420.48 crore in trading scams, Rs 222.58 crore in investment scams, and Rs 13.23 crore in romance/dating scams.
Fraudsters involved in these scams were based in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.Detailing the modus operandi of digital arrest scam during the 115th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Narendra Modi explained how fraudsters carry out the. He said that no government agency threatens individuals over the phone or demands money. Anyone who receives such a call, he said needn’t be afraid. “Be aware that no investigating agency conducts such interrogations over the phone or video call. The three steps to digital security are: stop, think and act,” he stated.“As soon as you get a call, stop… don’t panic, stay calm, don’t take any hasty steps, don’t give away your personal information to anyone; if possible take a screenshot and record it for sure,” he added.
“The first step is ‘stop’ and the second step is ‘think’. No government agency threatens you on the phone like this, neither inquires nor demands money on a video call like this,” Modi said.
The third step, PM Modi said, is ‘take action’, urging victims to dial the national cyber helpline 1930 and report such incidents on cybercrime.gov.in.
During the episode, PM Modi also shared a conversation between a victim and a fraudster to highlight the ‘digital arrest’ scam. He said “The fraudsters of digital arrest phone calls, at times impersonate as police, CBI, narcotics, at times RBI… using such various labels, they converse as fake officers with a lot of confidence. Many listeners of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ have wished that we must discuss that”.
What the government is doing
During the broadcast, the PM said that thousands of such fraudulent video-calling IDs have been blocked by the agencies along with lakhs of SIM cards, mobile phones and bank accounts. He said “Agencies are doing their job, but for protection from scams in the name of digital arrest, it is very important that everyone is aware, every citizen is aware. Those who are victims of this kind of cyber fraud should let as many people as possible know about it. You can use #SafeDigitalIndia for awareness.”
PM Modi urged schools and colleges to involve students in the campaign against cyber scams. “We can fight this challenge only with the collective efforts in society,” he said.
