Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cautioned citizens about fraudsters indulging in the cyber crime of so-called “digital arrests”. He urged people to adopt the mantra of “stop, think and take action” when faced with such a scam, asserting that these steps will provide digital security to them. In his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, he said probe agencies are working with states to deal with the issue but added that awareness is essential in protecting oneself from this crime.
During his broadcast, he also shared a conversation between a victim and a fraudster to highlight the cyber crime. “The fraudsters of digital arrest phone calls, at times, impersonate police, CBI, Narcotics; at times RBI... Using such various labels, they converse as fake officers with a lot of confidence. Many listeners of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ have wished that we must discuss that,” the PM said.
“Let me tell you how these fraud gangs work. What is this dangerous game? It is very important for you to understand this,” he said. Explaining the modus operandi of such fraudsters, he said they collect personal information as their first move and then in their second move create an atmosphere of fear.
“’You went to Goa last month, didn’t you? Your daughter studies in Delhi, right’? They collect so much information about you that you will be surprised. The second move - create an atmosphere of fear... Uniform, Government office set-up, legal sections. They will scare you so much on the phone. In the midst of the conversation you will not be able to even think,” the PM said.
He added that the third move of such fraudsters is the pressure of time. “’You have to decide now or else you will be arrested…’ These people create so much psychological pressure on the victim that one gets scared.People from every class and age group fall victim to digital arrest,” he said, adding that people have lost lakhs of rupees earned through their hard work, out of sheer fear.
“Whenever you receive such a call, don’t be scared. You should be aware that no investigative agency inquires like this through a phone call or a video call. I am enumerating the three steps to digital security. These three steps are - ‘stop ‘? think ‘? take action’,” he said. “As soon as you get a call, stop... - don’t panic, stay calm, don’t take any hasty steps, don’t give away your personal information to anyone; if possible take a screenshot and record it for sure.
The first step was ‘stop’ and the second step was ‘think’. No government agency threatens you on the phone like this, neither inquires nor demands money on a video call like this,” he said.
The third step is ‘take action’, he said and urged victims to dial the national cyber helpline 1930 and report such incidents on cybercrime.Gov.In. He also urged people to inform family and police, and preserve evidence by recording the fraud call. “’Stop’, then ‘think’, and then ‘take action’, these three steps will become the protector of your digital security,” the PM said.
The Prime Minister reiterated that there is no system like “digital arrest” in the law and this is just a fraud, deceit and a lie. The gang of criminals and those who are doing this are enemies of society”, Modi said. To deal with the fraud that is going on in the name of digital arrest, all probe agencies are working together with the state governments, he said, adding that for synchronisation among these agencies, a National Cyber Coordination Centre has been set up.
“Thousands of such fraudulent video calling IDs have been blocked by the agencies. Lakhs of SIM cards, mobile phones and bank accounts have also been blocked. Agencies are doing their job, but for protection from scams in the name of digital arrest, it is very important that everyone is aware, every citizen is aware,” he said.
Those who are victims of this kind of cyber fraud should let as many people as possible know about it, the PM said and urged people to use the hashtag ‘SafeDigitalIndia’ for spreading awareness. He also urged schools and colleges to involve students in the campaign against cyber scams. “We can fight this challenge only with the collective efforts of society,” he said.
