Supreme Court Tackles Growing Menace of Digital Arrest Scams

The Supreme Court is addressing the rise of digital arrest scams, a cybercrime where fraudsters impersonate officials to extort money. The court demands the drafting of standard operating procedures and seeks a proactive role from banks. A pan-India probe into these scams has been ordered.

The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu case next week concerning digital arrest scams, a disturbing form of cybercrime where criminals pose as officials to extort money from victims.

In what the court described as 'absolute robbery', over Rs 54,000 crore has been siphoned by digital frauds. The court has urged the government to create a standard operating procedure to tackle such crimes.

Attorney General R Venkataramani has promised a status report, and the court has called for a joint meeting involving the RBI and other stakeholders to draft a framework for victim compensation.

(With inputs from agencies.)