New Delhi: The last three years have witnessed a huge rise in digital arrest scams – where fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials over audio or video calls and siphon money from victims, the Times of India reported.
Per the report, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) recorded 39,925 cases of digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes in 2022 alone, with victims losing a whopping Rs 91 crore. But by 2024, that number rose to 1,23,672 – nearly three times the number recorded in 2022. Victims lost as much as Rs 1,935.5 crore – around 20 times more than in 2022 – to scammers. The first two months of 2025 alone have witnessed 17,718 cases involving an amount of Rs 210.2 crore.
Also read: ‘Indians Lost Rs 177 Crore to High Value Digital Payment Fraud in FY24’: Union Govt
“Digital arrests” occur when scammers pose as law enforcement officials and make a video call to victims, falsely implicating the person or their family members in a serious crime such as drug trafficking or money laundering. Victims are often told that a case is being filed against them, and that they have to pay specific amounts of money online to a certain account for the fraudulent “officer” to ascertain if they are indeed involved in the crime. The authority with which the “officer” intimidates the victims makes them do this almost immediately.
The report quoted the Delhi Police as saying that as soon as they receive a complaint, they freeze the account and block the siphoned money. They then track down the account numbers and calls. Even though the fraudsters try to erase their digital footprints, the police have been able to track them down in many cases, the report quoted a senior cyber cell officer as saying.
