Millions at risk of Digital Arrest scam: Here’s what we know so far

An individual recently lost half a million to scammers

3 min. read

Published onMay 20, 2024

published onMay 20, 2024

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Cybercriminals are coming up with new ways to dupe unsuspecting people, and the latest on the list is theDigital Arrestscam.

It’s a scam where fraudsters contact potential victims, impersonating government or law enforcement officials, and inform them that a parcel under their name contains an illegal item, for instance, drugs or arms.

Victims are accused of being involved in activities like drug trafficking or money laundering and are reportedly asked to pay a sum of money to get their names cleared. They may even be forced to download a video conferencing app and remain active on the video call for hours. This creates a sense of fear and urgency, which plays out in the fraudster’s favour.

Fraudsters involved in theDigital Arrestscam have a setup that resembles a government facility, leaving no scope for victims to realize that they are being duped.

Another modus operandi in theDigital Arrestscam entails informing victims that their identities were used in activities like human trafficking and forcing them to pay a huge sum.

Victims often fall for such scams due to the fear of social humiliation. In the last few months, people have reported losing up to $500k or more to fraudsters through theDigital Arrestscam.

The Government of India’sMinistry of Home Affairs (MHA)recently issued anadvisory warning citizens about theDigital Arrestscamafter several cases cropped up this year alone. The government also worked alongside Microsoft to block 1000+ Skype IDs found involved in such scams.

That certainly won’t put an end to such scams, especially withAI aiding threat actors. Increasing awareness is the only way we can tackleDigital Arrestand other similar scams!

How do you stay protected against Digital Arrest scams?

While theDigital Arrestscam is presently limited to India, there’s a high likelihood of fraudsters in other regions replicating the modus operandi.

Stay informed, stay safe!

Microsoft has actively been helping governments worldwide curb scams, includingwithdrawing AI access from threat actors who create deepfakes. It should be evident in a few months whether these measures deliver any positive results.

Do you have more tips on how to stay protected from theDigital Arrestscam? Share with our readers in the comments section.

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Millions at risk of Digital Arrest scam: Here’s what we know so far#

How do you stay protected against Digital Arrest scams?#

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

Millions at risk of Digital Arrest scam: Here’s what we know so far

How do you stay protected against Digital Arrest scams?