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Scam guide
Digital arrest scam: how fake police calls work and how to stay safe
Published 28 September 2026 · SafeHop guides
In short: a caller claims to be from the police, CBI, customs, a courier or a telecom regulator. They say a parcel in your name contains drugs, or your Aadhaar was used in a crime, and that you are under "digital arrest" and must stay on a video call. Then they demand money to "verify" your accounts or settle the case. There is no such thing as a digital arrest. Real police don't arrest people over video calls or ask for money transfers.
How the scam unfolds
- The hook: an automated call or message about a parcel, a SIM card or your Aadhaar, often "from" a courier or the telecom department.
- The "officer": you are transferred to someone in a uniform on a video call, sometimes in a room made to look like a police station. They show fake documents and an "arrest warrant".
- Isolation: you are told not to hang up or tell anyone, and to keep the camera on, sometimes for hours or days.
- The payment: to "prove your innocence", you must transfer your savings to a "secure government account" for verification, with a promise that it will be returned. It never is.
Warning signs
- The words "digital arrest". Indian law has no such procedure.
- Being told to stay on a video call and not to tell family or friends.
- Any demand to transfer money, buy gift cards or send crypto to clear your name.
- Pressure, fear and a very short deadline.
- Official-looking documents sent over WhatsApp.
What to do
- Hang up. You are not obliged to stay on any call.
- Tell someone you trust straight away. The scam depends on isolation.
- Never transfer money to "verify" anything.
- Report it at 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in, and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu).
- If you received a message about it, paste it into the SafeHop message checker.
Similar scams exist elsewhere: fake tax-office calls threatening arrest, fake "customs" calls about parcels, and fake bank security teams. The rule is the same everywhere: real authorities never demand payment by phone, transfer, gift card or crypto.
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This guide is general safety information, not legal or financial advice. Companies and authorities are named only to show who scammers pretend to be; SafeHop is not affiliated with any of them.