Summary
India is grappling with an elaborate “digital arrest” scam where fraudsters impersonate officials to coerce victims into transferring large sums of money under false accusations of serious crimes like money laundering.
Victims are subjected to 24/7 video surveillance, fake trials, and intense psychological manipulation, with scammers often exploiting personal details obtained online.
Over ₹1,200 million has been lost to such scams this year, with funds funneled into overseas accounts.
Authorities have arrested 18 suspects, recovering some stolen money, but victims report lasting financial and emotional trauma.
The NSA called a freeware developer, requesting his source code. But they didn’t just tell him that. They didn’t front-load with how important it was, how powerful they were, how scary the bad guys might be. No: they told him to go to the NSA’s website, on his own, and call the contact number at the bottom. They gave him a contact name and made sure he wrote it down.
And then they hung up.
So when that guy called the no-shit NSA, via a number he found himself, and one “please hold” later was hearing the same voice who called him - he knew goddamn well he was talking to a government agency.
And these schmucks can’t even send a guy to knock on your door.
