Bengaluru Shocker: 57-Year-Old Woman Loses Rs 32 Crore In Digital Arrest Via Video Calls

A shocking case of cybercrime has emerged in Bengaluru, where a woman of 57 lost a whopping Rs 32 crore to a fake “digital arrest”. The case has been reported to the police on November 17 and a case has been registered.

How the Scam Start

One software engineer, based in Indiranagar, received multiple calls from scammers posing as CBI officers who told her she was involved in a case and if not compliant she would be arrested.

What is “Digital Arrest”?

“Digital arrest,” is a new tactic employed by cybercriminals in which the victims are entrapped on permanent video calls, essentially mentally occupied. In this case, part of the scam involved getting the woman to be on a Skype video call and they said they were monitoring her for months so she would not try “escape.”

How the Scammers Fraudulently Retrieved Money

Under duress, the woman divulged all her financial information. The scammers then coerced her to do transferring through the bank a total of 187 times over a period of six-months, a total amount of Rs 32 crore. Toward the end of the scam, she was repeatedly warned that if she did not do what she was asked there would be “jail time.”

The Conclusion

After months of harassing her, the scammers sent her a fake “clearance letter” saying she was free of charges and she then recognised that she was scammed and contacted police.

 Police Update

The case has been filed and police are investigating and have urged citizens to be vigilant and never trust callers who identify themselves as government or law enforcement officials.