Digital House Arrest: How scammers posing as law enforcement are duping people in Delhi

Seeing a rise in cyber crimes involving a new technique to swindle people out of money in the national capital, the Delhi Police has issued an advisory about a new modus operandi of scamsters who pose as law enforcement officials and coerce their victims into paying money or face legal action.

Every month, Delhi is recording as many as 200 cases of this scam which is now being called “digital house arrest” and has been a headache for the cops.

What is digital house arrest scam?

Impersonators posing as law enforcement officers employ deceptive tactics to convince victims that their bank accounts, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, or other linked cards have been used for unlawful practices. These scammers then coerce victims into believing they are under virtual house arrest and should not head out. They then threaten them to pay money, Delhi Police said.

According to a senior officer from the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police, the phenomenon of “digital house arrest” has become a major concern. However, the unit exclusively investigates cases involving cheated amounts exceeding Rs 50 lakh.

These ‘cyber thugs’ are technically trained and experts in convincing their targets and embezzling their hard-earned money from them in the protect of protecting them from any legal repercussions.