Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the severe issue of digital arrests on Sunday, warning people how to be saved against fraudsters targeting people. In view of the increasing cases of online fraud, including ‘digital arrest,” the Indian cyber security agency ‘CERT-In’ issued an advisory on Sunday. It describes more than a dozen methods of online fraud by fraudsters.
In the 115th edition of his radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ PM Modi cautioned people against fraud in the name of ‘digital arrest.’ To counter these scams, PM Modi asked people to be vigilant and follow a three-step approach of “Stop – Think – Take Action.”
What is Digital Arrest?
The digital arrest is a new method of cyber fraud, in which the fraudsters call the victim by posing as police, CBI, ED, Customs, Income Tax, or Narcotics officers and then accuse them or their close ones of being involved in some illegal activities. After this, the scammer demands an immediate video call to settle the matter and threatens to arrest them on call or video call.
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After the victim is threatened on video call by showing fake ID or court documents, then, fraudsters put pressure on them to pay fines in order to avoid arrest.
How to be Saved From Digital Arrest
To be saved from Digital Arrest fraud, Modi said to be vigilant and don’t respond to these calls. People should not be scared and stop panicking as soon as they receive such calls. Once you are calm down, think practically and don’t take any immediate actions. Avoid giving your personal information to anyone. The best step to follow at this time is to either take a screenshot or record the whole conversation.
The second process is to understand that no government agency calls or threatens you on phone calls. In addition, they don’t even ask for money on a video call.
The third step is to report such activity on the national cyber helpline 1930 or on the portal cybercrime.gov.in. Inform the police and your family members about it.
What Government is Doing
PM Narendra Modi mentioned the agencies that are working to deal with digital arrest fraud. The government has set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. Additionally, there are several departments that are involved in investigating these crimes, including the Home Ministry (via I4C), IT Ministry, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Department of Financial Services (DFS), Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), department of revenue (DOR), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and TRAI.
Additionally, some banks, payment service providers, telecom companies, and social media companies are also taking part in handling digital arrests.
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