Judiciary Affected by the Digital Arrest Scam: Retired Judge Loses ₹1 Cr Following NSA Threat Call
A sophisticated “digital arrest” scam defrauded a retired Maharashtra judge out of ₹1 crore. A caller posing as a representative of a courier service informed the victim that a suspicious package in his name that contained illegal documents and drugs had been intercepted. Fraudsters posing as representatives of the Mumbai Police and Narcotics Control Bureau then took over the call. They accused the judge of money laundering and financing terrorism using forged documents, false identification, and psychological coercion. If he didn’t cooperate with their investigation, the scammers threatened to arrest him under the National Security Act (NSA). The victim moved the funds in several transactions to accounts under the fraudsters’ control out of fear of legal repercussions and reputational harm.
When the retired judge realized he had been duped and contacted actual law enforcement, the scam was exposed. Because they lack digital literacy and trust in authority, experts warn that these cybercrime scams are becoming more common among retired professionals and senior citizens. To scare victims, scammers use deepfake technology, artificial intelligence spoof calls, and complicated legalese. The public is advised by authorities to confirm threatening calls, refrain to give personal information, and promptly report suspicious communications to cybercrime.gov.in or the national cybercrime helpline (1930). Vigilance and public awareness are crucial to preventing instances of digital extortion then only we can stop these attacks
