Tech Desk 
Jan 21, 2025
In a harrowing tale of fraudsters looting individuals' entire life savings, "digital arrest" is a new tactic an infamous group of hackers in India is using to target innocent individuals, impersonating law enforcement officials to impose a digital arrest on victims.
The notorious cybercriminals' gang emerged in the spotlight for its maleficent execution of cyber attacks, trapping people into digital arrests and fraudulently emptying their bank accounts and other digital assets.
As reported by AFP, Kamta Prasad Singh, a 62-year-old retired professor, fell victim to the "digital arrest" scam and gave the scammers his hard-earned life savings.
"Over the years, I have skipped having tea outside, walked to avoid spending on public transport," Singh told the news publication.
Owing to its magnitude, the "digital arrest" scam has become so widespread in India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the public to be cautious.
Indian police attributed the enormous scale of this fraud to the digital divide between India's rapidly advancing data digitalisation, which encompasses everything from personal details to online banking, and citizens' lack of awareness regarding basic internet safety.
Addressing the public through a radio broadcast held in October last year, Modi said that Indians emptied their bank accounts "out of sheer fear", outlining that "create so much psychological pressure on the victim".
Fraudsters are leveraging technology to commit data breaches and extract personal information that the general public believes is only available to law enforcement authorities or the government, thus making illegal demands appear credible.
