What are ‘digital arrest’ scams? Why do many Indians fall for them?

The internet and cyberspace is rife with digital swindles. From online dating scams to pig butchering scams to cryptocurrency scams, there are many at play lately. These scams involve an element of “social engineering,” a phrase for tactics used to dupe a victim into making poor decisions such as trusting someone they should not, and sending them money.

So far in 2024, Indians have reported being cheated of Rs 19,888.42 crore after falling for various types of cyber frauds, up from Rs 921.59 crore in 2023. Authorities have fielded around 14.41 lakh calls this year to the national cybercrime helpline number (1930), according to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), a government body under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.