Hyderabad cops warn residents to beware of digital house arrest!

The Telangana Police, in the advisory, has asked people to be careful and avoid accepting or believing calls from unknown numbers

Hyderabad: In a novel cybercrime, fraudsters are looting people by impersonating law enforcement officers and making them victims of ‘digital house arrests’. The rampant rise of digital house arrests has prompted the Hyderabad police to warn residents and issue an advisory.

The Telangana Police, in the advisory, has asked people to be careful and avoid accepting or believing calls from unknown numbers. The digital house arrest scam refers to a fraud wherein skilled impersonators pretend to be law enforcement officers — such as police, Customs, CBI or NIA — and tell the victim that an inquiry has been ordered against him/her for the unlawful use of their account, SIM card, Aadhaar card or other cards linked to their bank account. The gullible victim is not allowed to leave the house and forced to disconnect from their friends, relatives and acquaintances for a few hours.

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Previously, the modus operandi was noticed in parcel fraud cases reported in the city wherein people impersonating police or Customs department officials threatened and extorted money from unsuspecting people claiming the parcel designated to them contained prohibited articles.

The cyber crooks are sourcing details of Aadhaar, PAN cards and other identity documents, and confronting the victims with their personal information. “During the phone conversation, the cyber fraudsters who pose as law enforcement officers strictly say that no one is allowed to interfere or represent the person against whom an inquiry is going on,” said an official of the Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau.

On the pretext of questioning, the fraudsters collect bank details and con the victim into downloading mobile or computer-based applications and hack into the bank accounts and transfer money. In a few cases, the people are forced to pay up to close the case.

The police have asked people to alert them in case they end up becoming victims of such frauds.

What’s the scam

Digital house arrest refers to a fraud wherein skilled impersonators pretend to be law enforcement officers — police, Customs, CBI or NIA officers

They tell the victim that an inquiry has been ordered against him/her for unlawful use of their account, SIM card, Aadhaar card or other cards linked to their bank account

The gullible victim is not allowed to leave the house and forced to disconnect from their friends, relatives and acquaintances for a few hours

On pretext of questioning, the fraudsters collect bank details, con the victim into downloading mobile/computer-based apps

They hack into the bank accounts and transfer money