Digital arrest scams

Digital arrest scams keep victims on long video calls, posing as police, claiming you're under 'digital arrest' until you pay.

How digital arrest scams work

A fake 'cyber police' or 'customs' caller says a case or illegal parcel is linked to you and keeps you on a video call.

You're isolated ('don't tell anyone') and pressured to transfer money to 'prove innocence' or a 'safe account'.

No genuine police force arrests, fines, or interrogates anyone over a video call.

Common opening lines

• “You are under digital arrest - do not disconnect or tell anyone.”
• “Stay on this video call and transfer funds to verify your innocence.”
• “A parcel in your name contains illegal items - cooperate now.”

Example patterns

Sanitised examples - placeholders only, never real links or data.

Red flags

• threat
• fake authority
• keep secret
• payment request

What to do now

1. Hang up or stop replying; real authorities don't work this way.
2. Don't transfer money to 'prove innocence' or a 'safe account'.
3. Save evidence, warn family, and report to your cybercrime authority.

What not to do

• Don't stay on threatening calls or follow remote instructions.
• Don't pay fines or 'clearance fees' via links, gift cards, crypto, or transfers.
• Don't share ID, Aadhaar/PAN, passport, or KYC details from a message link.

If you already responded

If you went further: if you clicked, don't enter anything and change any details you typed; if you entered card details, freeze the card with your bank; if you shared an OTP, change the password and enable app-based 2FA; if you paid, contact your bank or provider immediately; if you installed an app or gave remote access, disconnect, uninstall, and change passwords from a clean device.

How to verify safely

Hang up immediately and contact local police or your national cybercrime portal through official channels you look up yourself.

How to report

Report through official channels you find yourself - never a number or link from the message. Tell your bank or payment provider if money moved, and file with your national fraud or cybercrime body. Find the right links in the reporting directory. Open the reporting directory.

Watch for 'recovery' offers afterwards: anyone promising to get your money back for an upfront fee is running a second scam.

Sources checked

• NITI Aayog - Digital Arrest: The Modern-Day Cyber Scam
• FBI IC3 - Senior US officials impersonated in malicious messaging campaign (2025)

Last reviewed: 2026-06-05

This is general safety information, not legal, financial, or cybersecurity incident-response advice. We can't detect every scam or guarantee recovery - always verify through official channels.