CHENNAI: A missing complaint from a woman rescued her husband, who is a senior southern railway officer, from falling prey to a cyber scam. The man was almost ready to transfer money to free himself in a ‘digital arrest’ scam. The local police were able to find and save him by tracking his mobile number. No FIR has been registered so far.
According to the police, the 56-year-old man, a resident of Teynampet, is a senior divisional engineer. On September 1, he received a call from a person claiming to be a senior police officer from Mumbai, who said that his colleagues were on the way to his house to issue an arrest warrant. The caller said that several loans had been availed in his name from three banks, amounting to Rs 38 crore, and they were used for illegal activities.
For an online investigation, the caller asked the victim to shut himself in a room and avoid contact with anyone. Since the person asked him not to inform his family about this, the victim took his mobile phone and laptop, and checked into a lodge. He told his wife he was going to meet a friend. There he was contacted by the caller, and another person claiming to be a CBI officer said he would be arrested if he did not cooperate with the investigation. They told him to stay isolated till the inquiry was over.
However, as he did not return home on Sunday night, his wife lodged a police complaint on Monday. Based on the complaint, the police traced his mobile phone to the lodge and contacted him on Monday morning. As his replies were evasive, the police went to the spot, where he revealed the ‘arrest’. The police told him it was a scam and sent him home. The next step in the scam would have been the money transfer, but the man was saved in the nick of time, the police said.
What is digital arrest?
The scam involves fraudsters posing as officials from various government and law enforcement agencies
The scammer calls up the victim, accuses him/her of being involved in illegal activities
The accusations are meant to create panic and compel the victim to comply with the scammer’s demands
To resolve the issue, the victim is asked to transfer money immediately
Don’t fall prey
Always verify the identity of callers claiming to be from government/law enforcement agencies
Do not accede to demands of transferring money immediately
Contact local authorities or inform a close or trusted person when you receive suspicious communication
Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious calls to the cybercrime helpline number 1930 or through the website www.cybercrime.gov.in