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A man, who allegedly cheated at least 45 vehicle owners by promising them hefty monthly returns in lieu of their cars in a rental car scam was on Saturday detained by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB). The accused identified as Prince Mistry is a resident of Ahmedabad.According to an FIR lodged on Friday by one of the complainants at Ahmedabad DCB police station, the accused lured vehicle owners into a ‘trap’ to hand over four-wheelers for deployment on ‘rental contracts’ in lieu of a monthly rent of Rs 33000 and above. In order to “join the coveted network”, the accused allegedly also sought Rs 50,000 from the victims. DCB Inspector I N Ghasura told The Indian Express that the accused allegedly took away cars, some along with original papers of the vehicle, and mortgaged them for a loan with a third party. Ghasura said, “The accused started the scam in December 2023 by promising vehicle owners that they would receive Rs 33000 monthly by renting out their cars…most of the victims — who are drivers, agreed to join the network and several even handed over a deposit of Rs 50000 each to the accused. After the first three months, Mistry stopped transferring the money.”

In May 2024, over 1,000 suspicious Skype accounts were blocked, highlighting the scale of rising cybercrime. Extortion tactics have grown more sophisticated, with cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement officers to threaten "digital arrests" for fabricated charges, said Nikhil Jois, cyber expert and head of growth at Bureau ID—a trust network that facilitates end-to-end identity verification, compliance, and fraud prevention for new-age businesses. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) have flagged a surge in such scams. In one case, a cyber gang extorted Rs 26.52 lakh from a Ghansoli resident in Navi Mumbai, claiming his name was linked to terrorists. The gang threatened to arrest him on sedition charges. Cybercriminals have wreaked havoc across the country, with Navi Mumbai reporting cyber frauds exceeding Rs 2 crore daily. Over 200 cases have been registered in the past year, involving losses of over Rs 200 crore, according to local officials. The Ghansoli victim, a doctor, was contacted by the gang on Aug. 26, posing as police officers. They conducted a video call, displaying a fake police setup and convinced him the case was a national security issue. The gang alleged the victim’s account was tied to terrorist Yakub Memon and drug trafficking. Under duress, the victim transferred Rs 26.52 lakh across various accounts, but later realised it was a scam and filed a complaint with the Nerul Cyber Police. The case is under investigation.

In yet another case of a cyber scam, a 77-year-old woman from Bengaluru was swindled out of Rs 1.2 crore by cyber criminals posing as officials from the telecom department and the Mumbai Crime Branch. The scam unfolded over nearly 20 days, impacting the elderly woman mentally and financially, leaving her and her family in distress. According to a report by The Hindu, the scam started on June 26 when Bengaluru resident Lakshmi Shivakumar received a call from an unidentified person claiming to be a representative of the Telecom Department. The caller alleged that a SIM card had been purchased in her name in Mumbai and was being used for illegal activities. The caller further informed her that, as per protocol, the Telecom Department had filed a complaint with the Mumbai Crime Branch for further investigation. A few hours after this distressing call, the victim received another call from different individuals introducing themselves as Sandeep Rao and Akash Kulhari, pretending to be officers from the Mumbai Crime Branch. These individuals falsely accused the victim of being involved in laundering Rs 60 crore and asked her to share her bank account details and investment proofs for verification. They also threatened her with arrest for non-cooperation, showing a fabricated FIR and an arrest warrant allegedly issued by the Supreme Court to add authenticity to their claims. Intimidated and fearing legal consequences, the victim decided to comply with their demands and shared her bank details. As soon as she shared the details, the fraudsters transferred Rs 1,28,70,000 from her account, assuring her that the money would be returned once the investigation was complete. However, after the transfer, the scammers stopped calling her. When she was unable to contact them back, the victim realised she had been scammed. She subsequently discussed the incident with her family and friends, who urged her to approach the police. How to stay safe While online scams are on the rise in India, the first and foremost thing is to stay vigilant and help the elderly. Scammers often threaten individuals and use their emotional distress to siphon money. Elderly people who are not well-connected with technology become more vulnerable to these scams. Always verify the identity of the caller using official contact details found on their website. Never share personal or financial information over the phone, especially with unknown callers. Always remember that genuine officials do not threaten immediate arrest or demand money transfers to resolve issues. If you get such calls, notify family and police so that action can be taken accordingly. Always stay calm and do not fall for these bogus threats on calls. Verify and then act.