Digital arrest scam

What it is

A digital arrest scam is one where the caller impersonates a police officer, CBI investigator, customs officer, or judicial official, and persuades you that you are under investigation — usually for a parcel that "contains illegal items," an Aadhaar that has been "misused in a serious crime," or a transaction that has been "flagged."

The caller insists you remain on a video or audio call, often for several hours. They tell you not to disconnect, not to leave the room, and not to discuss the matter with anyone. They eventually instruct you to transfer money to a designated account "for verification," "for clearance," or "to confirm your funds are legitimate." The money is never returned.

The Indian government has confirmed publicly, multiple times, that no genuine investigative agency conducts arrests, investigations, or "verifications" by video call. There is no "digital arrest" in Indian law.

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How it works

The scam follows a structured script. Most victims describe the same five stages:

1. The initial call. Usually from an unknown number, sometimes spoofed to look like an Indian government landline.
2. The "evidence." They cite a parcel intercepted at the airport, an Aadhaar found in a criminal investigation, a bank account flagged for suspicious activity.
3. The handoff to a "senior officer." The call is transferred — sometimes to a video call — to a "senior officer" who appears in uniform.
4. The isolation instruction. You are told to stay on the call, not to leave the room, not to talk to family.
5. The financial demand. You are instructed to transfer money to "verify" or "clear" yourself.

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The signs you were targeted

• You transferred money to a bank account or UPI ID provided by a "police" or "government" caller
• You were told not to discuss the matter with anyone
• You were kept on a call for an extended period and felt unable to disconnect
• The "officer" insisted on video and was in uniform
• You were promised the money would be returned within 24 hours after "verification"

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What to do in the first 12 hours

1. Call your bank's 24/7 fraud helpline immediately.
2. Call 1930 — the National Cybercrime Helpline.
3. Save every piece of evidence. Screenshots, call duration, the caller's number, transaction confirmations.
4. Tell at least one person you trust.

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What to do in the first 72 hours

The RBI customer-liability framework gives you up to three working days to claim zero liability on most categories of unauthorised digital transactions. To use this window, you need to file a formal written complaint with your bank, citing the regulation correctly. The most important document is the bank dispute letter.

The complaint must use specific language — citing the relevant RBI circular and the "Authorised but Unintended" (AbU) framing pre-emptively — to prevent the bank from using that as grounds for denial.

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When the bank denies you

Most banks initially respond with a templated denial. The most common framing is "Authorised but Unintended" (AbU). AbU is contestable. A correctly drafted complaint pre-empts the AbU framing and cites the relevant clauses directly.

If the bank denies your complaint or does not respond within 30 days, the next step is the RBI Ombudsman. This is a free escalation process.

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What First72 does for you

If you are inside the 72-hour window or close to it, the highest-leverage thing you can do right now is start the free triage.

The triage takes five minutes. It establishes your fraud type, your window status, and the documents you need. If your case is eligible for the Standard or Escalation package, we draft the full complaint set within four hours.

Start the free triage

Or talk to us — +91 72000 72000 · help@first72.in