Mumbai Police's digital 'Rakshak' helpline thwarts five digital arrest scams

Mumbai, May 7 (PTI) Mumbai Police’s digital "Rakshak" helpline successfully prevented five incidents of digital arrest scams, officials said on Wednesday.

In one of the cases, a senior citizen from Chembur narrowly avoided becoming a victim of cyber fraud.

The fraudster had made a WhatsApp video call posing as a CBI officer. During the call, he falsely claimed there had been large financial transactions from the senior citizen’s bank account, allegedly used for hawala operations.

The caller further claimed that the victim’s PAN card and Aadhaar card were involved in the transactions, and even threatened arrest, the official said.

To make the scam appear legitimate, the fraudster also sent a fake notice on a "letterhead" of the CBI via WhatsApp.

While the call was ongoing, the senior citizen’s daughter arrived home and noticed her father visibly shaken. After learning about the call, she immediately contacted the Digital Rakshak helpline at 7400086666, the official said.

She shared the images of the notices with the Cyber Police, who quickly responded, confirming that the documents were fake and the call was part of a digital arrest scam.

Following the clarification, both the senior citizen and his daughter were relieved.

Officials added that there were four more such cases in which timely intervention by the Digital Rakshak helpline prevented similar scams and safeguarded the hard-earned money of senior citizens. PTI DC NSK