Digital arrest is the new way of digital crime As India is moving towards digital, our way of communicating, working and sharing information has completely changed, due to which online and cyber crimes have increased, to stop which the government has been making rules and laws from time to time.
But criminals are also adopting new tactics to commit crimes, a new name has come in this crime “Digital Arrest” where people are imprisoned in the house.
In today’s blog we will give you complete information about digital arrest so that you can save yourself from digital arrest scam.
What is Digital Arrest?
Digital arrest means imprisoning a person at home by showing false documents in the virtual world. It has emerged as a new crime in today’s digital age.
In this crime, with the help of false documents, a fake police or fake lawyer is handed a notice to the person, which makes the person feel that everything is happening in real, after which the criminal demands money from that person.
And due to lack of information and self-respect, the person gets trapped and becomes a victim of the digital arrest scam.
Legal Framework for Digital Arrests in India
India has enacted several laws to prevent digital crimes so as to deal with cybercrime and digital arrests.
The Information Technology (IT) Act of India, 2000 was enacted to deal with digital crimes, which has some provisions like :-
Section 43 – Provides protection against data theft, hacking.
Section 66 – Covers hacking and identity theft.
Section 67 – Penalizes the publication of obscene content online.
Some sections of the Indian Penal Code related to cyber crimes :-
Section 420 – Cheating
Section 500 – Defamation
Section 503 and 507 – Criminal intimidation
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
This law was enacted as a concern of privacy in which personal data is handled online and also provides strict penalties for violations.
Challenges in Implementing Digital Arrests
Even after so many laws, India is facing many problems in dealing with digital criminals:-
Lack of Awareness
Many times due to lack of awareness, many people commit crimes unknowingly and digital criminals take advantage of this and succeed in committing digital crimes and digitally arrest some people and then demand money.
Jurisdictional Issues
Cyber crimes often involve criminals from different states or countries, which makes it difficult to catch the criminals and if there is a lack of international cooperation, the investigation process also slows down.
Outdated Laws
India’s laws have not yet become strict compared to the way digital crimes have increased, often criminals use VPN and encryption, making it difficult to track them and avoid punishment.
In the era of deepfakes and AI-powered fraud, legal reforms are needed as soon as possible.
Some Digital Scam Cases in India
Illegal Parcel Scam
It starts with a call coming from an international number asking to cancel the package for delivery and press “void” and then the criminals game begins and fake arrest warrants are issued stating that illegal substances have been found in their packages and fake police officers and investigators join the video call and ask to pay the fine.
KYC Scam
In this, criminals call posing as bankers and ask the customer to update their KYC and tell the customer that if they do not do so, they may lose access to the bank’s services.
Sometimes scammers also send links through which they take control of the customer’s phone and then scammers can read the customer’s OTP and empty his bank account.
Work from Home Scam
After Covid, there has been a rise in work from home scams in which criminals target job seekers and first criminals make small payments to the victims and when the victim is completely trapped in the trap of criminals, victims are tricked and asked to deposit money and then the scammers disappear with the deposited amount.
Emergency Call Scam
In this, criminals pretend to be relatives or acquaintances and ask for immediate financial help due to a medical emergency, accident or legal trouble and then call their family and friends pretending to be police officers and demanding immediate money.
Criminals often use information gathered from social media.
Stock Market Investment Scam
In this, criminals often target people who are eager to make quick profits and connect with the victims through different platforms and promise high returns and show false documents to the victim and he becomes a victim of the scam.
Conclusion
Digital arrests in India expose online crimes. Although the government has said many times that there is no law like digital arrest in India, the only way to avoid it is “vigilance” and if something like this has happened to you, then you must complain.
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