Pune: Quick Heal Technologies Limited, a global provider of cybersecurity solutions, has detected a sharp rise in “digital arrest” scams. The company’s latest analysis, prepared by researchers at Seqrite Labs, India’s largest malware analysis platform, highlights how criminals now combine leaked personal data with aggressive impersonation of law-enforcement agencies to coerce victims into transferring money or divulging sensitive information.
Digital arrest schemes typically begin with a phone, email, or video call that appears to come from an authority figure. Attackers cite fabricated allegations such as drug trafficking or money laundering and bolster credibility by reciting accurate personal details harvested from large-scale breaches, including the April 2024 BoAt leak that exposed 7.5 million customer records and a separate compromise of Hathway documents containing Aadhaar and passport data. By exploiting both fear and familiarity, scammers persuade targets to visit look-alike payment portals, enter card or UPI credentials, or install remote-access tools that hand over full control of their devices.
Quick Heal AntiFraud.AI platform is purpose-built to interrupt this fraud chain. Its cloud-assisted Fraud Call Alert flags spoofed numbers before a call is answered, while Screen Share Alert detects covert remote-access attempts in real time. Banking Fraud Detection monitors account behaviour for suspicious patterns, and Secure Payments with Payee Name Announcer audibly confirms beneficiary names before a transaction is finalised. Complementing these defences, Call Forwarding Alert spots SIM-swap or call-diversion tactics, and an integrated Post-Fraud Help module guides victims through reporting and recovery steps.
The company advises users never to share one-time passwords, CVV codes, or personally identifiable information during unsolicited communications. Genuine government bodies do not demand payments via personal UPI handles, do not issue arrest warrants by email, and will not conduct enforcement over WhatsApp or Zoom. Individuals encountering suspected fraud should immediately call the national cyber-crime helpline at 1930, file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, or approach the nearest cyber-police station.
