Hyderabad Cybercrime warns against ‘Digital Arrest’ scams

Hyderabad Cybercrime warns of a surge in ‘Digital Arrest’ scams where fraudsters impersonate police or government officials to extort money. Citizens are urged not to share personal or financial information and report suspicious calls to official channels

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime Unit has issued an alert to citizens over a sharp spike in ‘Digital Arrest’ fraudsters, where cyber crooks pose as police, government agencies or courier executives to intimidate citizens with false claims of involvement in crimes such as money laundering, trafficking, narcotics, or terrorism.

In an advisory, Cybercrime officials said scammers are using video calls, spoofed caller IDs, and forged documents, including fake FIRs, non-bailable warrants and RBI letters, to pressurise victims into transferring money under the guise of verification or obtaining a “No Involvement Certificate.”

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“In some cases, victims are told to liquidate assets and secretly transfer funds, supposedly to submit to the Supreme Court, as proof of innocence,” the advisory said.

Police have reiterated that no law enforcement agency conducts arrests digitally or demands money to clear names, urging citizens not to panic, share personal information, or act on threats of immediate arrest.

The authorities advised citizens to disconnect suspicious calls, avoid sharing OTPs or financial details, verify claims through official police channels, and preserve evidence such as messages, call logs and transaction details.

Victims or those receiving suspicious calls can report immediately to the National Cybercrime Helpline 1930 or file complaints at cybercrime.gov.in.