Employees at the State Bank of India (SBI) recently prevented an elderly person from being a victim of a digital scam, underscoring the need of cybersecurity training for bank workers. Under the guise of law enforcement, the scammer claimed the victim was under ‘digital arrest,’ but bank officer Surya Swathi’s alertness and the branch’s management’s assistance prevented the fraud effort.
Fraudsters targeted the victim, a 61-year-old child expert and regular bank customer, telling him he was under digital arrest and not to speak to anybody about the situation. The customer reportedly planned to take out ₹13 lakh from his fixed deposits when he arrived at the AC Guards branch in Hyderabad. The elderly customer’s anguish was instantly spotted by bank staff Surya Swathi D, who pulled him aside to ask why he needed so much money so quickly. The client stated that he intended to purchase real estate, but he appeared unsure and acknowledged that he had not yet viewed the property.
When the client was unable to give information on the property he planned to purchase, we became skeptical, Swathi added. The bank employees acted right away and suggested that the client bring a family member back. To protect the customer, the transaction was postponed for three days. The elderly man tried to withdraw money at another kiosk during this period in an effort to get around the bank’s security measures. The bank employees, however, had previously warned one another and closely monitored the situation.
During his third visit, Swathi presented the client with an article from the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat in which he refuted the idea of “digital arrest,” a deceptive campaign that frequently targets weaker members of society. In 1930, Swathi referred the client to the national cybercrime hotline, where the victim discovered that other people had fallen for the same fraud.
After days of pressure, the elderly customer severed links with the scammer, now certain of the hoax. The consumer claimed that although the scammer had repeatedly warned them not to trust the bank employees, they eventually understood they were being duped.
What is ‘Digital Arrest’?
A new type of online scam known as “digital arrest” involves con artists convincing the victim that they are under virtual custody and that they must communicate with them via audio or video calls. The victim is told by the scammers to deposit funds into their accounts while being cautioned not to disclose the matter to anybody. These frauds still target elderly people who are less tech-savvy, even though multiple police bulletins have confirmed that there is no such thing as a “digital arrest.” In order to stop such instances from getting worse, authorities emphasize the importance of raising awareness.
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