Cyber Crime Fraud

Digital Arrest Fraud

Dr. Arti Surbhit Chaudhary, a Noida-based eye specialist, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud known as "Digital Arrest." On May 6, she received a call from someone posing as a FedEx representative, claiming that a parcel she supposedly sent to Thailand contained illegal substances. The caller, fluent in English and convincing, connected her to someone from the Mumbai Crime Branch, who falsely accused her of being involved in money laundering and organ trafficking.

Under the guise of "digital surveillance" for her protection, they instructed her to keep the call active and transfer ₹45 lakh to an account they claimed was linked to the CBI. Exhausted and fearful, Dr. Arti complied, only to realize later that she had been scammed after reading about similar incidents. Despite filing a complaint with the Cyber Police in Noida, her money remains unrecovered.

Matrimonial Cyber Fraud

Rimi, a 30-year-old woman working in Noida, fell victim to a matrimonial cyber scam after connecting with a man named "Rajbir" on a matrimonial website. Believing Rajbir was a potential life partner, she deleted her profile at his request. Over months of phone conversations, Rajbir gained her trust and eventually convinced her to lend him ₹2.45 lakh for his supposed business needs.

After receiving the money, Rajbir became distant and eventually disappeared, ignoring her calls. When Rimi threatened to file a complaint, Rajbir, whose real name was Prashant Kumar Jha, a married bank official, cut off all contact. Rimi reported the scam to the Shahdara district cyber cell. In March, Jha was arrested for defrauding over 20 women through similar schemes. Although emotionally devastated, Rimi recovered most of her money and hopes her complaint prevents others from being similarly deceived.

Stock Market Cyber Fraud

In November, a 36-year-old Gurgaon resident was lured into a stock market scam through a Facebook group named “Dalal Street HNI stock courses (7).” After joining a related WhatsApp group, he was convinced by the group admin to join a US-based website, ‘CMEX,’ for exclusive stock investment opportunities. Trusting the admin, he deposited ₹18.25 lakh, with the money being funneled into various Indian bank accounts. Although his initial small withdrawal was successful, his attempt to withdraw ₹8 lakh was blocked, and the funds were never credited back.

He filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime police, leading to an FIR under IPC section 420. Although he eventually recovered ₹15 lakh, the prolonged stress took a toll on his health. He expressed frustration with the government, accusing them of being indifferent and focused only on collecting taxes, while scams like these continue to thrive.

OTP Fraud

On May 24 last year, Ruchi Vyas, a teacher, and her father became victims of an OTP fraud while trying to book a doctor's appointment at a prominent Delhi hospital. Her father found a number online and was instructed by the caller to pay ₹10 for the appointment. After transferring the money, they were asked to share an OTP sent to his phone. Ruchi followed the instructions, but the appointment details never came.

Three days later, ₹99,000 was debited from her father's account. Realizing they had been scammed, Ruchi filed a complaint with the Shahdara Cyber police. The police traced the money to an account in West Bengal, operated by someone in Jharkhand, and managed to recover the funds in February. Though relieved to get their money back, Ruchi's father remains in shock over how easily the fraud occurred.