SBI Staffer Saves Senior Citizen from Losing Rs 13L in Digital Arrest Scam: How to Protect Yourself

Digital Arrest Scam: Online scams are on a rise in India. Recently, an SBI staffer, from SBI's AC Guards branch in Hyderabad, managed to save a 61-year-old child specialist from getting duped of Rs 13 lakh in a case of digital arrest scam.

As per reports, SBI bank officer Surya Swathi noticed the anxious demeanour of the senior citizen on digital arrest during his first branch visit. Upon inquiring about the sudden request to withdraw a large sum of money, she found inconsistencies in his story and his plan to use the money. Witnessing his tense behaviour during subsequent visits, Swathi along with the branch manager Kumar Gaud showed the senior citizen articles explaining the 'digital arrest' scam. Realising he was about to get conned; the man disconnected the scammer's call and thanked the employee for their help.

In another case, a 77-year-old woman from Mumbai was defrauded of Rs 3.8 crore earlier this week after the scammer, who posed as law enforcement official, claimed that her Aadhaar Card was being used for laundering money.

Similarly, a 25-year-old student from IIT-Bombay lost Rs 7.29 lakh after a trickster posing as a TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) official falsely accused him of money laundering.

These incidents follow the incident last month wherein Vardhman Group Chairman and MD SP Oswal was duped of Rs 7 crore by a scammer impersonating Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in a high-profile case of digital arrest.

These are some of recent incidents wherein scammers have duped people into paying lakhs by impersonating as government officials and placing them under digital arrest.

Digital Arrest Scam: What is it and how does it work?

Digital arrest is a type of scam wherein fraudsters impersonate government officials and dupe victims into paying hefty amounts by placing them under 'digital' or 'virtual' arrest. The scammers use video conferencing tools to stay in constant touch with the victim and holding them hostage till their demands are met.

The easy accessibility of sophisticated technology such as deepfakes has only made it easier for scammers to impersonate genuine people and dupe victims.

PM Modi also addressed this issue in the October edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' address.

"There is no system like digital arrest under the law. No government agency will ever contact you via phone or video call for such an investigation," PM Modi had said in his address last month.

Digital Arrest Scam: How to protect yourself?

Here are some of the steps people can follow to protect themselves against the digital arrest scam:

-- Never share your personal information, including your banking data and OTPs, with anyone.

-- Be suspicious of calls from people claiming to be government official from various agencies. Government official will never ask for users' banking details or ask them to transfer money online.

-- Remember this is no concept of 'virtual' or 'digital' arrest in India.

-- Contact the relevant agency directly to verify the identity of the caller.