NEW DELHI: In a massive crackdown against cyber frauds indulging in rampant digital arrests, the I4C wing under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in coordination with the Department of Telecom has blocked over 17000 WhatsApp Accounts operating from South Asian countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, sources said on Thursday.
Noting that the move was initiated by the MHA’s Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) complaints filed by victims through online platforms, the sources said, that flagged accounts were reviewed and blocked following directives to WhatsApp from the Ministry.
These accounts were primarily traced to countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, where according to reports fraudulent operations have been thriving, they added.
This development comes in the wake of a detailed investigation, which revealed that fraudulent call centres operating out of Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos are often linked to Chinese casinos in Cambodia, serving as hubs for organised cybercrime, the sources said.
They also confirmed that the blocked accounts were actively involved in trapping Indians through digital arrests and more than 50 per cent of such accounts had been active since January 2024.
Most of these accounts were used to dupe people through digital arrests through multiple SIMs and it was found that the locations of these accounts were not in India, the sources said, adding that after much difficulty, the government managed to block these accounts.
“Earlier the Indian agencies had blocked Skype accounts, and now, with the help of state cyber wings, the blocking of these WhatsApp accounts is expected to deliver a major blow to cyber criminals,” a source said.
The investigations into the reported cases also revealed a disturbing trend of human trafficking, where Indian citizens are lured to Cambodia under the guise of job offers, only to be coerced into executing online financial scams, they said.
‘Digital arrest’ is one among the major tactics employed by fraudsters, where scammers impersonate law enforcement officials such as CBI agents, income tax officers, or customs agents to intimidate victims, he sources said, adding that under the guise of fabricated accusations of illegal activities, they pressure individuals to transfer large sums of money.
According to data available with the government, the scale of fraud is staggering and it is found that scammers siphon off approximately Rs 6 crore daily through such means.
In the first ten months of this year alone, the scammers have caused losses amounting to Rs 2,140 crore and the reported cases of 92,334 digital arrests till October this year.
Sensing the magnitude of the menace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently issued a public warning, urging citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the national cyber helpline.