Hyderabad: Senior woman saves herself from 'digital arrest'

Hyderabad: A 67-year-old government employee from Hyderabad saved herself from fraudulent ‘digital arrest’ by staying vigilant and reporting the fraudsters’ attempt to the police.

According to the police, the woman received a call from the fraudster claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The call then got ‘transferred’ to a representative claiming from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Mumbai.

The fraudsters told the woman her name was involved in a money laundering case. A bank account and a SIM card had been opened in Mumbai using her Aadhaar Card details and suspicious transactions had been made.

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After making incriminating implications, the fraudster informed the woman that she was under “digital arrest,” and she could not leave her home.

They sent her a letter claiming to be from the crime branch and CBI and instructed her to connect with them on a WhatsApp video call.

During the call, the fraudster’s video was turned off, preventing the woman from seeing their face. The fraudster instructed the woman to transfer an amount of Rs, 4,21,357 to a bank account that they provided, promising that the money would be refunded upon completion of the investigation and her innocence in the alleged illegal activity.

Upon this, the woman realised that it was a fraud and immediately filed an online complaint for assistance, at the .

The police urged the citizens to be aware of the fact that calls claiming to be from CBI, RBI, ED, Customs, judges, cyber crimes police, narcotics department, FedEx, BSNL, TRAI etc. are likely to be scams and need not be panicked when one receive such calls, and instead, has to be reported with the police.

The police advised to end the calls without any further engagement if any suspicion arose from incoming calls from unknown numbers. Citizens can report cyber crimes by calling 1930 or also call 100 or 112 during emergencies and need help.

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