'Digital arrest': Cyber fraudsters targeted Americans, says Bengaluru police

Bengaluru, Oct 14 (PTI) The cyber fraudsters arrested by the police in Bengaluru targeted American citizens through 'digital arrest', police said on Tuesday.

According to police, a fake Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) was busted on October 7 and 16 people were arrested.

"Under the name Cybits Solutions Private Limited, a fake BPO company had been set up for the purpose of committing cybercrime. Around 20 to 25 young men and women had been recruited online under the pretext of employment and were being trained in cyber fraud through online means," they said.

The gang members collected personal information of unknown individuals online, contacted them by phone, and threatened them by saying that cases have been registered against them under the narcotic drugs law and for money-laundering offences, the police added.

"Pretending to be officials from investigation or police agencies, they intimidated innocent people and, under the guise of offering ‘help’, lured them to pay money online, thereby making illegal profits," police said.

The investigating team raided the place and questioned the people working there. The "employees" revealed that they had uploaded job information on platforms such as WorkIndia and LinkedIn, and websites offering employment opportunities.

Later, the company’s managers and supervisors lured jobseekers from various states to Bengaluru with offers of employment and accommodation in call centres that claimed to provide online information services to the USA, Canada, and other countries.

The company arranged rented houses in HSR Layout and BTM Layout, along with cab and food facilities, police said.

After a three-week telecaller training, the employees were taught about the US Border Security Force, US Postal Services, and US Customs and Border Protection Force.

"Using live servers provided by the company, they called people (mostly Americans), intimidated them by saying they were involved in drugs trafficking or money laundering cases, showed them fake arrest warrants and fake police IDs, and demanded money for their ‘release’. This is called the Digital Arrest scam," police said.

The accused told police that all these activities were carried out through the company’s live server software.

"Upon inspection of the computer systems, it was found that they used the website Justpaste.it to upload and use the "digital arrest script" and, through various online applications, made internet calls to US citizens, intimidating them with false accusations under narcotics and money-laundering laws to extort money," police said.

Police seized 41 computer systems, including 82 power cables and 21 LAN cables, two attendance registers and four stripe notebooks, 25 mobile phones and ID cards, one EPABX device, four D-Link switches and four routers.

Sixteen people were arrested in this connection.

"A total of 16 accused — 8 from Maharashtra, 4 from Meghalaya, and 4 others from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Gujarat — have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing," police said.

Digital arrest is a scam that extorts money from victims through fear, deceit, and intimidation. Fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials, threatening arrest, frozen bank accounts, or passport cancellations to coerce victims into paying a 'fine' or 'security deposit' to avoid legal action. PTI GMS GMS KH