Cyber crime: Government warns against 'digital arrest'; here's everything you need to know

The government of India has issued a warning against cyber fraud which entails something called as digital arrest. The Union Home Ministry has issued an alert against cyber criminals who impersonate the police and other law enforcement officials, to extort money from the victims

Cyber Fraud

As per the Home Ministry, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) has received a large number of complaints regarding intimidation, blackmail, extortion and 'digital arrests' by cyber criminals posing as officials from police department, CBI, RBI, ED and other law enforcement agencies.

Digital Arrest

Cyber criminals call the victims informing that they have either sent or is the intended recipient of a parcel containing illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or any other contraband item. They also inform the victims that any person they know are in involved in a crime or an accident or is in their custody.

To compromise the fake case, these fraudsters then demand money. Sometimes the victims are also asked to remain visually available over skype or other video conferencing app. This is called 'Digital Arrest'

As per the Home Ministry, the cyber criminals use studios modeled on polic stations and government offices and wear uniforms.

Meanwhile, the ministry has said that it is closely working with other ministries and agencies to address the concerns and counter the criminals. As per Times of India, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre recently blocked over 1,000 skype IDs involved in such activities, in collaboration with Microsoft. The Ministry has also blocked SIM cards, Mobile devices and Mule accounts of the fraudsters.

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