Digital arrest scam: what it is and what to do in the first hour

How the scam works

It usually starts with a call about a parcel, a SIM card or an Aadhaar number "linked to a crime". The caller passes the phone to someone dressed as a police or CBI officer on a video call. They show fake ID cards, fake court papers and sometimes a fake police station in the background.

Then comes the pressure. The victim is told they are under "digital arrest", must stay on camera, must not tell anyone, and must move money to a "safe account" for verification. Some victims are kept on the call for days.

Kerala has seen many of these cases. Early in 2026, an industrialist in Thrissur and an elderly couple in Kannur together lost nearly ₹7 crore to callers pretending to be officers.

Warning signs

• Someone says you are under arrest over a phone or video call.
• You are told not to tell your family, your bank or anyone else.
• You are asked to transfer money to "verify" it or to a "safe account".
• The caller keeps you on the line and gets angry if you want to hang up.
• You are asked for an OTP, your bank PIN, or to install an app.

Police never arrest anyone on a video call. If someone says "don't tell your family", it is a scam.

What to do during the call

1. Cut the call. You don't need permission to hang up.
2. Don't call back on the number they gave you.
3. Call a family member or a trusted neighbour and tell them what happened.
4. If you want to check, call your local police station on a number you already know.

If money was already sent: the first hour

1. Call 1930, the national cyber fraud helpline. Do this first.
2. Report it at cybercrime.gov.in and write down the complaint number.
3. Call your bank's official number (from the back of your card or passbook) and ask them to freeze the transfer.
4. Keep everything: screenshots, the numbers that called, transaction IDs, and bank messages.
5. Don't pay anyone who later offers to "recover" your money. That is a second scam.

Speed matters. In March 2026, Kochi City Cyber Police recovered ₹1.06 crore for an 81-year-old doctor because the complaint was filed quickly and the money was frozen before it moved on.

How to protect your parents

• Tell them, more than once: police never arrest anyone on a video call.
• Agree on one family rule: before paying anyone, call a family member first.
• Save 1930 and a trusted family number on their phone.
• Stick a short note on the fridge with these numbers.