Why in the news?

Last week, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police arrested 17 people accused of digital arrest. The gang had “digitally arrested” a senior citizen for 10 days, kept watch on him via video calls, and got him to deposit Rs 79.34 lakh as “refundable” processing fees to sort out an “RBI issue”.

Key Takeaways:

1. While the digital age has brought unparalleled convenience and connectivity, it has also seen a parallel and alarming rise in cybercrime. This surge is attributed to the increasing penetration of the Internet and digital services across the globe, making more individuals and organizations vulnerable to cyber threats.

2. Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of malicious activities, including identity theft, online fraud, financial fraud, hacking, cyberstalking, and the distribution of harmful software, among others. Digital Arrest is a form of online fraud.

3. A “Digital Arrest” scam involves fraudsters impersonating law enforcement via video calls, threatening fake arrests to extort money.

4. In the majority of cases, online frauds and criminals typically call potential victims and tell them that they have sent or are the intended recipients of a parcel containing illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or any other contraband item. In some cases, the criminals contact relatives or friends of the target and tell them that the target has been found to be involved in a crime or an accident, and is in their custody.

5. The criminals, who often use pictures or identities of police personnel to convey authenticity, usually demand money from the target for a ‘compromise’ and closure of the case. In certain cases, the victims are “digitally arrested”, and forced to stay visible over Skype or other video conferencing platforms to the criminals until their demands are met.

6. Cybercriminals are also known to use studios that look like police stations or government offices and to wear uniforms similar to those of law enforcement agencies.

Whale Phishing

A phishing attack is defined as the fraudulent practice of impersonating reputed and official names and identities through email, text messages, or phone calls to trick the victim into sharing personal sensitive information like banking and credit card details and login or identity information. Unlike the typical phishing scams, whale phishing or spear phishing are focused on specific individuals, often top officials of the company who handle finances.

 

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)

Advisory issued by I4C

Don’t Panic, Stay Alert. CBI/Police/Custom/ED/Judges DO NOT arrest you on video call

1. The I4C, established in 2018, is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) tasked with establishing a national-level coordination centre to address cybercrime-related issues.

Cybercrimes see “no boundary” and common people should be made aware of these offences, the Union Home Minister said. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)

2. In September 2024, four I4C platforms were inaugurated — the Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC), the ‘Samanvaya’ platform, a Cyber Commandos programme and a Suspect Registry.

3. The Central Suspect Registry will serve as a central-level database with consolidated data on cybercrime suspects from across the country. The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) has been tasked with establishing the Suspect Registry.

4. The CFMC will focus on addressing online financial fraud and scams. It looks to prevent such cybercrimes by facilitating cooperation between various stakeholders such as major banks, payment aggregators, telecom companies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), central agencies, and local police on a single platform.

5. The Samanvaya Platform, also known as the Joint Cybercrime Investigation Facilitation System, will be designed as a single repository of data pertaining to cyber crimes. This unified database is expected to aid in cybercrime mapping, data sharing, data analytics, cooperation and coordination among law enforcement agencies across India.

6. A special wing of ‘Cyber Commandos’ will be specially trained to counter cyber security threats. These commandos will be stationed in Central Police Organisations (CPOs) in all states and Union Territories. The government plans to train and deploy 5,000 such Cyber Commandos over the next five years

 

(Source: What is ‘digital arrest’, Samanvaya portal, suspect registry: What to know about govt’s latest anti-cybercrime push)

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