THE STEP TAKEN BY THE
SUPREME COURT IS COMMENDABLE IN VIEW OF THE INCREASING CASES OF DIGITAL ARREST.
The
digital revolution has expanded India's digital infrastructure, services, and
literacy, making it the world's second-largest digital market, with over 1.2
billion mobile subscriptions and over 560 million internet subscriptions. The
digital revolution has increased financial inclusion and boosted online
payments.
But along with this, there has been a rapid
increase in cases of digital arrest scams across the country in the last few
months. Nowadays, the digital
arrest scam has emerged as a very serious issue in the country.
In this, criminals pretend to be police or
other government officials and make video calls, trapping victims with false
accusations and extorting money from them. This scam uses intimidation and
threats to force people to stay home and then cause financial loss.
A shocking case has come to light in Jabalpur,
where alleged IPS and CBI officials digitally arrested a 72-year-old man and
defrauded him of ₹76 lakh from his bank account. An international connection
has emerged in the ₹58 crore digital fraud case in Mumbai. The Maharashtra
Cyber Police have traced the money trail to Hong Kong, China, and Indonesia.
THE
SUPREME COURT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE INCREASING NUMBER OF DIGITAL ARRESTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
The
Supreme Court has described the digital arrest scam as "shocking."
The Apex Court is concerned by the increasing number of digital arrest cases
across the country. The Court has warned of the need for immediate action
against the growing fraud perpetrated by fake investigative agencies. The Court
has directed states to strengthen their cybercrime units.
The Supreme Court has directed that the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country's top investigative agency,
investigate the Digital Arrest scam, which has occurred across the country in
recent months. This scam defrauded people of hundreds of crores of rupees.
The
court stated that these cases merit immediate investigation. The CBI must not only investigate the network
involved in the cyber fraud, but also prosecute the bank officials who opened the
fake and mule accounts (accounts used to launder illegal money). The court
stated that the CBI may also seek the assistance of
Interpol if necessary.
The Supreme Court also asked social media
companies to cooperate fully with the investigating agency. The Department of
Telecommunications was directed to prepare a detailed report on the widespread
misuse of SIM cards and submit it to the court. The RBI was asked to develop a system to identify
bank accounts used for fraud using technologies like AI and machine learning.
The
court also ordered all states to expedite the
work of their cybercrime units and
immediately address technical obstacles.
It also stated that a robust support system is essential for cybercrime workers
working on the ground.
The Supreme Court also said that the next phase
would be the investigation of the "investment scam" and the
"part-time job scam", which would also be handled by the CBI.
WHAT IS DIGITAL ARREST?
The
digital arrest scam involves fraudsters posing as officers from the CBI, ED,
police, or other agencies and making video calls. They claim the victim is
implicated in a crime, claiming they are under "digital arrest" and
unable to communicate with anyone. They exploit this fear and extort large sums
of money.
HOW TO
AVOID DIGITAL ARREST?
Digital
criminals use innovative methods to defraud people. One such method is digital
arrests and fake summons. The ED advised the public to first determine
whether the summons is genuine or fake. In fact, scammers extort money from
people by intimidating them in the name of the ED. In light of the increasing
number of such cases, the ED has provided some information to alert the general
public.
Let us
know how you can differentiate between real and fake summons. These fake summons look like real summons,
making it difficult for common people to differentiate between real and fake ones.
ED
officials said that all genuine summons are now issued through the system,
which includes a QR code and a unique passcode. This allows anyone to easily verify whether a summons is genuine or
fake. The summons also bear the issuing
officer's signature, seal, official email address, and phone number.
There are two ways to verify the authenticity
of the summons. First, scan the QR code and distinguish between genuine and
fake. This can help you identify the authenticity and avoid fraud. To do this, you need to
keep a few things in mind.
Scan
the QR code printed on the summons with your mobile phone. Scanning will open a
page on the ED website. Enter the passcode printed on the summons on that page.
If the information is correct, the
website will display all the details related
to the summons (such as name, officer's
name, position, and date).
Another way is to visit the ED's official website, https://enforcementdirectorate.gov.in, and verify
the summons. This method is also
simple, and you can verify the summons by following a few steps.
Go to the ED website and click on the
"Verify Your Summons" option. Enter the summons number and passcode.
If the information is correct, the website will display the actual summons
details.
The ED said that this investigation can be
conducted 24 hours after the summons is issued (except on holidays, Saturdays,
and Sundays).
If the summons served to you
is not system-issued, you can contact the ED office official listed below to
verify it.
Address: Enforcement Directorate, A-Block,
Pravartan Bhawan, APJ Abdul Kalam Road, New Delhi – 110011. Email: adinv2-ed@gov.in Phone: 011-23339172
The ED also clarified that some fraudsters are extorting money from people by threatening them with "digital arrests" or "online arrests." The ED stated, "There is no such law. Arrests by the ED are always made face-to-face, following the legal process, and not online or digitally."
The ED has appealed to the public not to
believe any person or message claiming to be an ED officer and demanding money
or threatening arrest.
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