November 21, 2024: In a significant move against digital arrest fraud, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has blocked more than 17,000 WhatsApp accounts as part of an ongoing effort to curb online financial scams. The majority of the blocked accounts have been traced to countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, where they were allegedly being used by cybercriminals to orchestrate fraudulent activities.

The crackdown, which was led by the MHA’s cybercrime coordination center, comes in response to a growing number of complaints from victims who reported being duped through fraudulent online interactions. These victims, many of whom contacted the government through online platforms, had their accounts flagged by authorities, prompting WhatsApp to take action and suspend the numbers involved.

This recent development follows an investigation by India Today, which exposed a network of call centers operating out of Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. The scammers often operate from Chinese-run casinos in Cambodia, using these bases to target Indian citizens. The fraudulent operations typically involve "digital arrest" schemes, where scammers impersonate law enforcement officers—such as CBI agents, income tax officials, or customs agents—threatening victims with false accusations of illegal activities.

The fraudsters intimidate victims into transferring large sums of money under the pretext of avoiding arrest. In some cases, the victims are lured to foreign countries, where they are coerced into carrying out online scams themselves. India Today's investigation also uncovered a disturbing link between human traffickers and these fraud rings, with traffickers promising jobs in Cambodia, only to force their victims into cybercrime operations.

As part of its efforts to tackle this growing threat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently issued a public warning, urging citizens to report any such incidents to the cyber helpline. The Home Ministry's cyber wing also highlighted the alarming financial toll of these scams. On average, the scammers are siphoning off nearly Rs 6 crore per day, with a total of Rs 2,140 crore being stolen in the first 10 months of 2024 alone. As of October, the cyber wing had recorded 92,334 cases of digital arrest fraud.