What’s digital arrest scam? YouTuber Ankush Bahuguna held ‘hostage’ for 40 hours

New Delhi: Scammers have been finding innovative ways to get money off people. With new scams appearing every day, YouTuber Ankush Bahuguna spread awareness of a traumatic incident he recently went through. In an Instagram video, Ankush spoke about how he was under a ‘digital arrest’ for nearly 40 hours! That’s right, the YouTuber explained what a digital arrest is and how he was held hostage for hours by a scammer.

For context, Ankush Bahuguna received a call that accused him of a grave offence and that there was an arrest warrant out for him. Here is the complete story.

Ankush Bhauguna held hostage in a digital arrest

In Ankush’s Instagram video, he explained that he received a call from an International number. The caller claimed that Ankush was sending an illegal package to China. He was then asked to remain on a video call for 40 hours, under a ‘cyber arrest’. Ankush picked up the automated call that said that his courier package had been cancelled. Without thinking much, he pressed ‘zero” for further information.

The scammer, disguised as a police officer asked him to isolate himself from others under the pretext of being arrested and to avoid getting his loved ones involved in the case. Anksh admitted that he was scared as the scammer mentioned how Ankush’s name, Aadhar card number and address were written on the package. The fake police officer then went on to say, “This is a very serious crime, and now you will be under digital arrest. There is an arrest warrant already in your name.”

Further, Ankush claimed that when he was about to send the money to the scammer, it failed due to a server issue with his bank. He was then asked to stay in a hotel ‘for his own safety’. That is when Ankush managed to reach out to his friend and learn about the scam.

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A post shared by Wing It with Ankush Bahuguna (@wingitwithankush)

After explaining what happened to him, Ankush Bahuguna stated that he shared his experience so that he could spread awareness against such frauds. He thanked his friends who noticed the change in his behaviour after he kept sending ‘I’m okay’ texts to keep them at bay.