A 67-year-old Malad homemaker was duped of Rs 12 lakh in a ‘digital arrest’ scam after fraudsters posing as police sent fake court orders and kept her under constant video surveillance for six days. The fraud surfaced after her daughter alerted the 1930 cyber helpline. An FIR has been registered
Fraudsters posing as police used WhatsApp video calls to trap the senior citizen. Representation pic/istock
A 67-year-old homemaker from Malad was allegedly cheated of Rs 12 lakh in a sophisticated “digital arrest” scam, in which fraudsters posing as police and central agency officers kept her under constant virtual watch for six days.
The trap
Cyber police said the woman received a WhatsApp video call from a man claiming to be a Mumbai Police officer. Using a profile photo with a police logo, he alleged that a bank account opened in her name in Lucknow had been used to route '17 crore for terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir. She was told she had earned a 10 per cent commission and could face arrest and up to 10 years in jail.
Fake documents, real fear
To make the threat appear genuine, the accused sent forged Supreme Court orders, an arrest warrant and an RBI notice. She was warned that the case involved “national security” and told not to inform her family.
Under ‘house arrest’
Police said the woman was told she was under house arrest, forced to stay on video calls and to report daily, saying, “I am safe.” “Whenever I panicked, he would calm me down and tell me to relax. I thought he was genuinely helping me. So I told him everything,” the woman said. Police added that the accused used fear to build trust. On day three, she was asked to break a '12 lakh FD and transfer the amount via RTGS to a Coimbatore account for “verification.”
How it surfaced
The fraud came to light after her daughter checked her phone and alerted the 1930 cyber helpline. An FIR has been registered.
Cyber safety advisory
>> Dial 1930 immediately to report cyber fraud
>> Police never conduct “digital arrests” on WhatsApp
>> No authority asks for a money transfer for verification
>> Warrants are never sent via messaging apps
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