Context:

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre reported that Indians lost more than ₹120 crore in digital arrest frauds in the first quarter of 2024.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which monitors cybercrime at the central level through the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), highlighted that digital arrests have become a prevalent method of digital fraud.

• Many of those carrying out these frauds are based in three contiguous Southeast Asian countries: Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. 

India also lost ₹1,420.48 crore in trading scams, ₹222.58 crore in investments scams, and ₹13.23 crore in romance/dating scams in the first quarter of 2024.

As per National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) data, 7.4 lakh complaints were received in the first quarter of this year, while 15.56 lakh complaints were received in 2023.

Recently, the Prime Minister of India also raised concern over "digital arrest fraud" while addressing the nation in the 115^th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

What is ‘digital arrest’?

• It involves scammers posing as officials from investigative agencies or law enforcement bodies, such as the CBI, Narcotics Bureau, RBI, TRAI, customs, or tax authorities.
• Scammers contact potential victims via phone or video calls on platforms like WhatsApp and Skype, using fake police station sets, costumes, and badges to appear authentic.
• Some victims are “digitally arrested,” meaning they’re forced to stay online and visible to scammers until demands are fulfilled. 
• This elaborate deception creates a convincing sense of authority, pressuring victims into compliance. 

Key Initiative taken against Cybercrime

Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C): It was inaugurated in 2020 to enhance the capabilities of Law Enforcement Agencies and improve coordination among various stakeholders dealing with cybercrime.

• It has blocked more than 1,000 Skype IDs linked to such activities, after collaborating with Microsoft. 

National Cybercrime Reporting Portal: It has been launched, as a part of the I4C. It facilitates victims/ complainants to report all types of cybercrime complaints online. 

• People receiving such calls should immediately report the incident on the cybercrime helpline 1930, or at http://www.cybercrime.gov.in 

Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC): It was established at the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to tackle online financial fraud by uniting banks, payment aggregators, telecom companies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), central agencies, and local police on a single collaborative platform. 

Samanvaya Platform (Joint Cybercrime Investigation Facilitation System): It is a web-based module to act as a One Stop Portal for data repository of cybercrime, data sharing, crime mapping, data analytics, cooperation and coordination platform for Law Enforcement Agencies across the country.

'Cyber Commandos' Program: Under this program a special wing of trained 'Cyber Commandos' in States/UTs and Central Police Organizations (CPOs) will be established to counter threats of cyber security landscape in the country.