Elderly Vizag resident duped of Rs 85 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ fraud

Visakhapatnam: A 75-year-old man from Vizag city was cheated of nearly ₹85 lakh after fraudsters trapped him in a "digital arrest" scam, falsely claiming he was involved in a money-laundering case. The scammers, posing as Mumbai crime branch officials, threatened the senior citizen with arrest and coerced him into transferring money under the pretext of an investigation.Referring to an FIR number, the caller claimed that a case was registered against the elderly man for misusing his Aadhar card and opening an account in Canara Bank, Mumbai. The bank account was allegedly used by one person, Naresh, who was arrested on charges of laundering money and siphoning off crores of loans.The caller also threatened the elderly man to appear before the Mumbai police for investigation, failing which criminal action, including arrest, will be initiated. Though the elderly man denied his involvement, the caller claimed the investigation was in process.Exploiting his fear further, the fraudster subsequently instructed the elderly man not to disclose the matter to anyone by falsely claiming that the man was under digital arrest. He also instructed the victim not to leave the house without permission from them. The callers asked the elderly man to transfer the amount to some account numbers for investigation and to verify the source of the income.Terrified by the threats, the elderly man reportedly transferred more than Rs85 lakh to the fraudsters in three to four instalments. Despite receiving money from the elderly man, the caller continued to threaten him and demanded more money, citing an investigation.Unable to bear the harassment and threatening calls, the elderly man managed to contact his relatives, who informed him that it was a financial cyber fraud. Later, the victim approached the cybercrime police in Vizag city, lodged a complaint seeking against the fraudsters.The police said elderly citizens have been turning targets for cybercrooks in digital arrest frauds. Senior citizens are vulnerable to cybercrooks due to their trusting nature, lack of digital awareness, loneliness (as their children are staying in other cities), financial stability, and lack of immediate support, the police added.