To stop the ‘Digital Arrest’ scam, WhatsApp has banned more than 9,400 suspicious accounts. This action has been taken on the basis of inputs received from government agencies and internal investigation of the company during the 12 weeks starting from January 2026.
This information has been given to the Supreme Court through Attorney General R Venkataramani. The court is currently hearing suo motu cases on the increasing digital scams in the country, in which fraudsters impersonating police or government officials cheat people of money.
Scam centers were operating from countries like Cambodia
WhatsApp’s investigation has revealed that most of the accounts targeting Indian users were being run from scam centers in Cambodia. To scare people, the fraudsters were using official words and logos like Delhi Police, Mumbai Headquarters, CBI and ATS Department in their profile pictures and names.
Don’t just wait for complaints, focus on breaking the network
WhatsApp said that they are using every input to map and dismantle the entire criminal network. While the government had given information about 3,800 accounts, WhatsApp increased its investigation and took action on thousands of other linked accounts as well.
4 new safety features to prevent fraud
WhatsApp is now bringing new tools to prevent fraud on the platform itself:
- Logo-matching system: To identify those committing fraud by impersonating government departments.
- Message Warning: User will receive an alert the first time a message arrives.
- Account Age: Users will be able to see how old the account is.
- Use of AI: Using large language models to identify changing scam patterns.
Action started after cheating an elderly couple of Rs 1.5 crore
This case started in October 2025 when an elderly couple wrote a letter to the Supreme Court. He was defrauded of ₹1.5 crore by posing as a CBI and IB officer.
The thugs had intimidated them by showing them fake court orders through video conference. After this, the court had sought answers from the Center and agencies on such cases increasing across the country.
Knowledge Part: What is digital arrest?
In this, fraudsters pretend to be police or government officials and make video calls. They tell the victim that an illegal parcel has arrived in their name or that they are involved in a case. After this, they are forced to remain in front of the cameras for hours in the name of ‘digital arrest’ and money is transferred from their bank accounts under the threat of arrest.
