The "Digital Arrest" Trap

The call came while I was finishing lunch in Bengaluru. "This is the Narcotics Bureau. A FedEx package sent in your name to Taiwan has been seized. It contains five fake passports and illegal drugs." My heart hammered. I was transferred to a "Cyber Cell Officer" via a professional-looking Skype call. The man wore a uniform and sat against a wall with a police logo. He showed me a "Supreme Court Warrant" featuring my Aadhaar number. "To prove your innocence, you must move your bank balance to a 'Secret Verification Account' for auditing," he commanded. "If you hang up, we will dispatch a team to arrest you immediately."