Mumbai Police has launched two helplines to help those who fall victim to the so-called digital arrest situation. The helpline numbers are 7715004444 and 7400086666, and they will work round-the-clock.
If they receive any such call, people should contact the helpline numbers, an official from the Mumbai police said. In case of an emergency, Mumbai Police can also send their teams to the victim's place.
The initiative comes in response to a worrying surge in cases related to digital arrest fraud over the past couple of years.
What is a digital arrest?
In digital arrest scams, fraudsters call a person posing as officials of law enforcement agencies, and claim that their mobile number, Aadhaar or bank account has been used for some illegal activity. The person is told they are under "digital arrest", and must not disconnect the call or even leave the room where they are and contact anyone including police. They are then asked to transfer money to certain bank accounts. Scared, a person is very likely to follow the instructions in such cases, and end up losing money to cyber criminals, most of them operating from outside India.
Also Read: A Growing Threat of ‘Digital Arrests’
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