Impersonation
Digital arrest call
Callers posing as police, CBI or customs claim a parcel or case in your name and keep you on video call until you transfer money.
Warning signs
- Caller demands you stay on video and speak to nobody
- Threat of immediate arrest unless you pay now
How the fraud works
The call usually opens with a courier company saying a parcel in your name has been seized, then transfers you to someone presenting as police, CBI, customs, or the narcotics bureau. Uniforms, office backdrops, fake ID cards and forged court documents are used on video.
There is no such thing as a digital arrest in Indian law. The entire method depends on keeping you frightened, on camera, and cut off from anyone who would tell you so.
The usual sequence
A call claims a parcel, SIM or bank account in your name is linked to a crime.
You are transferred to a fake officer on a video call.
Forged documents and an arrest warrant are shown on screen.
You are told to stay on camera and not contact family.
Money is demanded as 'verification' to be returned after clearance.
Who is targeted most
Senior citizens and people living alone, though professionals are targeted heavily too.
How to protect yourself
- No agency investigates, arrests or takes payment over a video call.
- The instruction not to tell your family is itself the proof of fraud.
- Disconnect and call the department on a number you looked up yourself.
Related fraud types