On Sunday, 5th January, social media influencer turned actor Ankush Bahuguna revealed that he was digitally scammed and was held hostage online for more than 40 hours. He said that he had to suffer monetary loss and also trauma due to the scam that he said was executed in the name of Mumbai Police.
Bahuguna said that he was hypnotized into making monetary transactions was isolated from his family and friends, and also was forced to stay in a hotel.
“I was not allowed to pick up calls. I was not allowed to message people or reply to their messages, let anybody in the house. They told me that if I tried to reach out to anyone, they would arrest me and harm the people I contacted,” he said in an Instagram video.
The scammers then said that he was in a serious problem and that he would be arrested in the next hour. Immediately within a few minutes, he was told that he had no time to go to the police station and that they would connect him to the police online.
‘Digital arrest’ is a method used by cybercriminals to confine victims to their houses to defraud them. The perpetrators create fear in the minds of internet users by making audio or video calls impersonating law enforcement agents with AI-generated voices.
Detailed reports regarding these can be read here.
