During his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, PM Narendra Modi said this cybercrime has hit all sections of society. He urged people to adopt the mantra of “stop, think and take action” when faced with such a scam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday warned against the dangers of “digital arrest” and said no investigative agency ever establishes contact over phone or video call to demand money or probe people.
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During his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, Modi said this particular cybercrime has hit all sections of society. He urged people to adopt the mantra of “stop, think and take action” when faced with such a scam.
“…Under digital arrest fraud, callers portray themselves as police, CBI, RBI or narcotics officials, and they confidently talk. People asked me to talk about this in Mann Ki Baat. You need to understand this. The first step is your personal information. They collect all your personal information. 2nd Step is the atmosphere of fear. They will scare you so much that you won’t even be able to think. Step 3- The time pressure…Victims of digital arrest are from all sections and ages. Many people have lost lakhs of their hard-earned money. If you ever get a call like this, don’t be afraid. You should know that no investigating agency does such an interrogation over the phone or video call,” he said.
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He said probe agencies are working with states to deal with the issue, adding that awareness is essential in protecting against the crime. He played a representative video to show how such criminals pose as agency officials to prey on people’s fear after gathering detailed information about their potential victims.
“Beware of digital arrest frauds. No investigative agency will ever contact you by phone or video call for such an investigation,” he added.
The prime minister asked people to dial ‘1930’ to connect with the national cyber helpline or connect with its portal and also inform police about such a crime. They should record such conversations and also take screenshots, he said.
Such cases have emerged as a menace across India with fraudsters posing as CBI officials in most cases. It happened to Vardhman Group chairman SP Oswal, who was allegedly duped into transferring Rs 7 crore to bank accounts of cybercriminals under “digital custody”. They contacted him on Skype and told him he was a “suspect in a money laundering case”.
In another case, fraudsters impersonated Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud and held a fake Supreme Court hearing via Skype, citing a money-laundering probe against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal.
