Prime Minister Narendra Modi once stated, ‘Our identity in the world must change from Scam India to Skill India.’ This is not just a mere comment from the PM, but a real fact that haunts the people of India, today. In just a matter of two months in 2025, 17,718 incidents of digital arrest scams were reported, recording a loss of INR 210.21 crore, altogether. If we look at Karnataka, it has already recorded 2,251 cybercrime cases this year. It is further projected that Indian entities might be duped Rs 20,000 crore to cyber crimes this year.
To mitigate this, the I4C has taken a step by blocking more than 83,668 WhatsApp accounts and 3,962 Skype IDs which were said to be involved in digital arrest frauds. But the biggest question lies - Will this stop the accelerating digital frauds?
Let’s look at some of the drivers that is fueling arrest scams in India:
As India’s is the world’s most populous country which enjoys affordable data packs which start as low as Rs 11 (USD 0.13) per hour, this accessibility has not only increased internet access and created a USD 1 trillion mobile payments market dominated by players like Paytm, PhonePe, and Google Pay. It is said that with advantages and opportunities, there always lies a looming challenge that comes with it. The same would be the case of the country. As internet accessibility and online payments have gained tremendous traction, it has paved the way for fraudsters to leverage this digital era to come up with unique digital scamming methodologies.
A Comprehensive Breakdown Cyber Fraud Cases in India
If we speak on one of the rising scam that has been plaguing the country is ‘Digital Arrest.’ So what is it in the first place? To describe it in layman’s terms, Digital Arrest is a type of cybercrime where scammers impersonate themselves as law enforcement officials, often using sophisticated tactics to intimidate and deceive their victims.
For instance, in a heart wrenching incident, an 86-year-old woman from south Mumbai lost more than Rs 20 crore of her savings over two months to a 'digital arrest' fraud, police said on Thursday (March 20, 2025). Another incident reported saw a 77-year-old Noida resident put under digital arrest for 16 days, losing Rs 3.14 crore.
There were some apprehensions such as two getting arrested for the aforementioned case of extorting Rs 20 crore from elderly woman over two months in Mumbai. Furthermore, the Cyber Crime police station arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with a digital arrest case. The accused here, Mohammed Zubair Ahmed was detained at RGI Airport upon his arrival from Dubai.
According to the police, Zubair was involved in a Fedex fraud case, wherein, he operated multiple bank accounts to be used for fraudulent transactions while being stationed at Dubai. He, along with his partners, duped victims by impersonating themselves and lay enforcements and coercing the victims into making payments under the guise of a “digital arrest.”
A cyber cell officer stated, "They seem very organised from step one. They employ scripted fraud speeches, carefully crafted to instil; fear and panic, making targets more susceptible to the scammers' demands. The scripts are scientifically tailored to exploit the target's vulnerabilities, such as their age, health or financial situation, making these speeches even more effective at extracting money and information from unsuspecting individuals."
Another cyber cell cop stated, "Fake companies are also created to buy bulk SIM cards from telecom operators or authorised retailers. Additionally, identity theft is used to steal the identities of legitimate businesses or people to obtain bulk SIM cards. The grey market and online marketplaces, including dark web forums, are other platforms where bulk SIM cards are obtained from unauthorised sellers, ultimately aiding digital arrest scammers."
The main reason behind this burgeoning fraudulent activities has been the lack of cyber literacy which leaves people stranded and vulnerable to fraudulent activities.
These scammers know perfectly who they are targeting, wherein, they employ a range of tactics to obtain the sensitive data of bank customers. In this approach, the elderly who are more vulnerable are particularly being targeted. There have been many cases where these scammers also form partnership with corrupt bank personnel who are bribed or coerced into sharing sensitive confidential data, which include account numbers, balance and other details of customers.
So the toughest question here lies is where are we Indians lagging?
The main reason behind this burgeoning fraudulent activities has been the lack of cyber literacy which leaves people stranded and vulnerable to fraudulent activities. Yes, digitalization has been a boon for human kind, completely transforming the way we socialize ourselves in India. However, this boon comes with a great cost, especially for individuals who are tech-disabled.
"The biggest revelation from our research is the sheer scale of financial losses of over Rs 20,000 crore due to cybercrime, of which Rs 9,000 crore is due to brand name abuse alone. The fact that brand abuse is implicated in nearly one-third of all cybercrime incidents and a staggering 70 per cent of high-value scams is a wake-up call for India," Pavan Karthick M, Threat Intelligence Researcher at CloudSEK said.
If we look back last year, over 740,000 complaints of cybercrime were reported to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), wherein, Indians lost over whooping INR 11,000 crore to cyber frauds in the first six months of 2024; an average of INR 60 crore every day. All together, the high value cyber fraud cases in India have jumped more than four times in fiscal 2024 where people have lost a staggering USD 20 million.
Now, let’s delve into some of the frauds which have been looming around and how innocent people’s hard money are being preyed upon:
First and foremost, WhatsApp scams in India are more prevalent than ever today. Here, some of the common tactics which we have found include someone posing as loved ones in need, offering fake investment opportunities, or requesting personal information or money.
What might be the signals of a prospective scam?
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Look for grammatical mistakes or typos in the message.
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Urgent requests for money or personal information are most likely to end in scams
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Investment opportunities which seems too much to be true
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Verification codes requests
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Suspicious QR codes or links
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Fake Arrest Calls should be not taken seriously
India Online Fraud Prevention: So how should we protect ourselves to avoid getting duped?
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Be cautious of unsolicited messages
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Verify the identity of contacts and
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Avoid sharing sensitive information
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Be wary of messages that you receive from unknown numbers or contacts
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On receiving a message from someone you don't know or suspect, try to contact them through a different channel so as to verify their identity.
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One should never share their personal information
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Avoid clicking on links or downloading apps that come from unknown sources
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If you happen to suspect a scam, immediately report it to WhatsApp and block the number
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Add an extra layer of security to your WhatsApp account by enabling Two-Step Verification
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Always ensure that your privacy and security settings are updated to control who can see your personal information and contact you.
As we traverse our way in 2025 Digital Arrest Scams in 2025 will grow further. Hence, one should know the aftermath of being scammed. All your hard earned money, and your life goals can be disrupted completely. Hence, it is imperative for every individual to be cautious with whom they connect in today’s digital-first world. Stay safe by staying informed.
