Cybercriminals target Indian retirees with fake investment and arrest scams

Cybercriminals in India are increasingly targeting senior citizens through sophisticated scams involving fake investment platforms and impersonation of law enforcement officials.

In Hyderabad, a 75-year-old retired government employee lost approximately ₹96 lakh. The victim was initially lured by a fake part-time job offer on WhatsApp and a fraudulent foreign exchange trading platform on Telegram. The scammers later escalated the fraud by impersonating a Mumbai Police officer, threatening the victim with arrest in a fabricated money laundering case to extort further funds.

In Coimbatore, a 67-year-old retired doctor lost ₹98 lakh through a tactic known as a ‘digital arrest’. Fraudsters posing as senior police and CBI officials contacted the victim via video call, claiming her bank account was linked to illegal transfers. The victim was ordered to remain under house arrest and coerced into transferring large sums of money for ‘verification’ purposes.

Local authorities have noted a significant rise in such incidents. Coimbatore police reported receiving over 6,500 online fraud complaints this year, with total losses reaching nearly ₹48 crore. Law enforcement agencies have clarified that there is no such procedure as a ‘digital arrest’ and that official investigations are never conducted via video calls requesting fund transfers.