International link emerges in digital arrest scam racket busted by India Today

An international link has surfaced in a digital arrest scam racket recently exposed by India Today’s Special Investigation Team through an undercover operation. The scam involved fraudsters contacting an India Today reporter, falsely claiming that a package in his name containing 400 grams of drugs had been seized, thus attempting to coerce money from him.
An SIT investigation into the case revealed that these operations span several countries, with the Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR) exposing digital footprints from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.
Evidence showed that scammed funds were funnelled and withdrawn from Cambodia and Dubai, and Indian workers hired by private companies were involved in running these cross-border scams.
The scam operation entices Indian jobseekers with dubious foreign job offers, later trapping them as digital operatives or “digital slaves” in fraudulent activities.
Multiple agencies are now collaborating to trace and dismantle the networks behind these digital arrest scams.
India Today’s investigation team exposed a digital arrest scam targeting unsuspecting individuals by falsely implicating them in drug and money laundering cases. The operation began when a fake DHL representative contacted an India Today reporter, claiming a parcel in his name containing illegal drugs was seized in Mumbai.
Through intimidation and threats, the scam involved a series of fake calls, including from an alleged police officer and Enforcement Directorate agents, demanding sensitive information and a Rs 10 lakh “guarantee.”