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Fraudsters posing as police officers and officials from central agencies have defrauded thousands of people across India through so-called "digital arrest" scams, with government data showing 2,97,727 complaints and financial losses of Rs 4,057.7 crore between 2022 and May 2026.
Data reviewed by News18 shows the number of complaints increased from 39,925 in 2022 to a high of 1,23,672 in 2024, when victims lost Rs 1,935.5 crore.
In the first five months of 2026 alone, authorities received 15,215 complaints involving losses of Rs 481.1 crore.
Although both complaints and financial losses rose significantly over the years, the past year has shown a slight decline.
Senior citizens continue to be among the most frequent victims of the scam.
In a recent case, an elderly NRI doctor couple from Delhi reportedly lost Rs 14.84 crore after fraudsters subjected them to a fake "digital arrest" through continuous video calls.
The scammers allegedly posed as law enforcement officials, falsely accused the couple of money laundering and pressured them into transferring their life savings over several days before the fraud was uncovered.
A series of cyber fraud incidents reported across Goa has prompted police to register six FIRs in July, with investigators searching for unidentified suspects behind the online scams.
Among the victims was Margao resident Joseph D'Silva, who was allegedly deceived by a caller claiming that two mobile numbers registered in his name had been linked to his Aadhaar and were involved in illegal activities. The caller warned him that a criminal case would be registered unless he transferred money immediately. Believing the threat to be genuine, D'Silva transferred Rs 5 lakh to the bank account specified by the fraudster.
In Canacona, Shristhal resident Parag Pagi reported receiving a phone call that remained on hold for around two to three minutes. Soon afterwards, his bank notified him through an SMS that Rs 95,000 had been debited from his account. He later discovered that an unauthorised UPI transfer had been carried out from his SBI account to one Vijay Danane. Police in Canacona are investigating the case.
Another complaint was lodged by Pernem resident Digamber Ramchandra Petkar, who was allegedly tricked by a person posing as an IndusInd Bank employee. After convincing Petkar to provide his banking details through a form, the fraudster obtained a verification code during a video call. The victim later found that Rs 4.2 lakh had been fraudulently withdrawn from his account.
The Cyber Crime Police Station at Ribandar also registered a case following a complaint by Agasaim resident Kavita Lamani. She alleged that she was first contacted through a WhatsApp number by a person who befriended her online and claimed to have sent her a parcel from abroad containing gold, cash and other valuable items.
She was subsequently contacted by another individual claiming to be an official from the Indian Embassy at Mumbai airport. The caller informed her that the parcel had been detained because it allegedly contained illegal gold and cash and demanded Rs 1.6 lakh to resolve the matter. Fearing action against her, Lamani transferred the money.
In a separate complaint, 52-year-old Mapusa resident Urvesh Ramkrishna Natekar told cybercrime police that an unidentified person contacted him, threatened him with injury and subjected him to sustained pressure. Police have also registered an FIR in connection with the incident.
Government agencies say most "digital arrest" scams follow a similar pattern.
Fraudsters impersonate officials from the police or central agencies to intimidate victims into believing they are under investigation before forcing them to transfer money.
Victims are often kept under psychological pressure through video calls on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram and are persuaded to make large RTGS transfers.
Investigators have traced several of these operations to organised scam centres in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
Cybercrime officials have repeatedly stressed that there is no legal provision for a "digital arrest" in India. They have warned that anyone claiming to represent the police, CBI, ED or RBI and demanding money over a phone or video call is committing fraud.
Data reviewed by News18 shows the number of complaints increased from 39,925 in 2022 to a high of 1,23,672 in 2024, when victims lost Rs 1,935.5 crore.
In the first five months of 2026 alone, authorities received 15,215 complaints involving losses of Rs 481.1 crore.
Although both complaints and financial losses rose significantly over the years, the past year has shown a slight decline.
Elderly victims remain key targets
Senior citizens continue to be among the most frequent victims of the scam.
In a recent case, an elderly NRI doctor couple from Delhi reportedly lost Rs 14.84 crore after fraudsters subjected them to a fake "digital arrest" through continuous video calls.
The scammers allegedly posed as law enforcement officials, falsely accused the couple of money laundering and pressured them into transferring their life savings over several days before the fraud was uncovered.
Goa reports wave of cyber fraud cases
A series of cyber fraud incidents reported across Goa has prompted police to register six FIRs in July, with investigators searching for unidentified suspects behind the online scams.
Among the victims was Margao resident Joseph D'Silva, who was allegedly deceived by a caller claiming that two mobile numbers registered in his name had been linked to his Aadhaar and were involved in illegal activities. The caller warned him that a criminal case would be registered unless he transferred money immediately. Believing the threat to be genuine, D'Silva transferred Rs 5 lakh to the bank account specified by the fraudster.
In Canacona, Shristhal resident Parag Pagi reported receiving a phone call that remained on hold for around two to three minutes. Soon afterwards, his bank notified him through an SMS that Rs 95,000 had been debited from his account. He later discovered that an unauthorised UPI transfer had been carried out from his SBI account to one Vijay Danane. Police in Canacona are investigating the case.
Another complaint was lodged by Pernem resident Digamber Ramchandra Petkar, who was allegedly tricked by a person posing as an IndusInd Bank employee. After convincing Petkar to provide his banking details through a form, the fraudster obtained a verification code during a video call. The victim later found that Rs 4.2 lakh had been fraudulently withdrawn from his account.
The Cyber Crime Police Station at Ribandar also registered a case following a complaint by Agasaim resident Kavita Lamani. She alleged that she was first contacted through a WhatsApp number by a person who befriended her online and claimed to have sent her a parcel from abroad containing gold, cash and other valuable items.
She was subsequently contacted by another individual claiming to be an official from the Indian Embassy at Mumbai airport. The caller informed her that the parcel had been detained because it allegedly contained illegal gold and cash and demanded Rs 1.6 lakh to resolve the matter. Fearing action against her, Lamani transferred the money.
In a separate complaint, 52-year-old Mapusa resident Urvesh Ramkrishna Natekar told cybercrime police that an unidentified person contacted him, threatened him with injury and subjected him to sustained pressure. Police have also registered an FIR in connection with the incident.
How the scam operates
Government agencies say most "digital arrest" scams follow a similar pattern.
Fraudsters impersonate officials from the police or central agencies to intimidate victims into believing they are under investigation before forcing them to transfer money.
Victims are often kept under psychological pressure through video calls on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram and are persuaded to make large RTGS transfers.
Investigators have traced several of these operations to organised scam centres in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
Cybercrime officials have repeatedly stressed that there is no legal provision for a "digital arrest" in India. They have warned that anyone claiming to represent the police, CBI, ED or RBI and demanding money over a phone or video call is committing fraud.
