Page 46 - The Insurance Times April 2025

Rising Trends in Cybercrime

Digital Arrests, Deception, and the Need for Cyber

Awareness

Introduction 3. SIM Swap Fraud
In today's hyper-connected world, the line between physi- In this type of attack, criminals duplicate a victim's SIM
cal and digital spaces is rapidly blurring. While digital ad- card to gain access to OTPs and bypass two-factor au-
vancements have revolutionized communication, commerce, thentication. This grants them control over the victim's
and banking, they have also opened the floodgates for a new bank accounts and personal data.
breed of crime-cybercrime. What started with simple email
scams and phishing attacks has now evolved into sophisti- 4. Sextortion and Cyberbullying
cated digital deception techniques. One of the latest and Cybercriminals use social media to befriend victims and
most alarming trends is the rise of digital arrest scams, later blackmail them using morphed or stolen photos.
where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or govern- This is especially common among young users and of-
ment officials to extort money. This article explores recent ten leads to severe emotional distress.
trends in cybercrime, analyzes a real case study, and under-
scores the critical need for cyber awareness in safeguard- 5. Crypto Investment Scams
ing individuals and organizations. With the rise of cryptocurrency, scammers now lure vic-

tims with fake investment platforms promising high re-
Evolving Trends in Cybercrime turns. Once the victim invests, the site disappears along
Cybercrime is constantly evolving, adapting to the digital with their money.
behaviors of users. Some of the most concerning recent
trends include: Case Study: The 'Digital Arrest' Fraud in
1. Digital Arrest Scams Bengaluru (2024)

A rising cybercrime trend in India and globally, digital In February 2024, a disturbing case emerged from
arrest scams involve fraudsters impersonating police of- Bengaluru, where a 34-year-old software engineer fell prey
ficers, government officials, or international agencies to a digital arrest scam. The victim received a call from
like Interpol. Victims receive calls or video messages al- someone claiming to be an officer from the Narcotics Con-
leging their involvement in criminal activity such as trol Bureau. The caller alleged that the victim's Aadhaar
money laundering, drug trafficking, or passport fraud. number was linked to an international drug smuggling
The victim is coerced into sharing personal data or racket.
making payments to "resolve" the issue.
To validate the claim, the fraudsters sent an official-looking
2. Deepfake and AI-driven Fraud letterhead and connected the victim to a fake video call
Artificial Intelligence has been weaponized to create showing a person in police uniform. The victim was told that
highly realistic audio and video deepfakes. Fraudsters a warrant had been issued against him and that he would
now use AI-generated voices and faces to impersonate be arrested unless he cooperated.
bosses, family members, or government officials to ex-
tract sensitive information or money. In a state of panic, the engineer was instructed to remain

42 April 2025 The Insurance Times