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orlandosentinel.com
· 2025-12-08
Suspended Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill faced a court hearing on charges including elderly exploitation, where she contested claims that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) manipulated the alleged victim's testimony. Hill was indicted one year prior and is scheduled to stand trial in May 2025 on fraud and elder abuse charges.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Hector Claveria, 51, of New York was sentenced to two years in prison in March 2025 for laundering proceeds from elder fraud and computer fraud schemes. Starting in early 2020, Claveria acted as a money mule by collecting cash packages and wiring $20,000 in June 2020 to a foreign account, knowing the funds came from scams targeting elderly victims with fake government/company debt claims and computer service fraud. He was also ordered to forfeit $20,000 and serve three years of supervised release.
technologyreview.com
· 2025-12-08
Gavesh, a South Asian man facing financial hardship, was trafficked into a "pig butchering" scam operation after responding to a fraudulent Facebook job posting promising $1,500 monthly salary. Criminal syndicates operating from compounds in Myanmar-Thailand border regions use social media platforms and tech services to recruit victims and conduct romance/investment fraud schemes that have netted billions of dollars globally, exploiting trafficked workers through coercion and violence. The investigation reveals that major tech companies—including social media, dating apps, cryptocurrency platforms, and messaging services—have enabled the industrialization of these fraud operations and may hold the key to dismantling them if compelled to take action.
the420.in
· 2025-12-08
A 70-year-old woman in Pune lost Rs 2.5 crore in a sophisticated cyber scam where fraudsters impersonating Maharashtra Police and Enforcement Directorate officials falsely implicated her in a money laundering case involving Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal. Over three weeks from mid-February to March 10, the woman made 74 transfers after being coerced through fabricated legal notices, fake "digital arrest" orders, and forged government documents. Authorities suspect international cybercrime syndicates orchestrated the scheme, using mule accounts and cryptocurrency to launder the stolen funds, and have advised citizens to verify official identities independently and never
clarencevalleynews.com.au
· 2025-12-08
In 2024, Australians lost $2 billion to scams (down 25.9% from 2023), though more people fell victim to increasingly sophisticated impersonation scams, with social media being the leading contact method for financial loss at $69.5 million across 7,724 reports. Common impersonation scams include bank impersonation, government agency impersonation, family/friend impersonation using deepfakes, job scams requiring upfront payments or bank access, and celebrity endorsement scams. The key prevention strategies are to stop and verify before giving money or information, check requests independently using known contact details, and protect yourself by contacting your bank immediately
romesentinel.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, more than 4,300 New Yorkers age 60 and older lost $203.4 million to financial scams—an average of $47,000 per victim—prompting AARP New York and state legislators to urge inclusion of fraud prevention measures in the state budget. Key proposed protections include training bank employees to identify exploitation and temporarily hold suspicious transactions, with particular focus on common schemes like the "grandparent scam" where criminals pose as relatives requesting emergency funds via untraceable methods like cash or gift cards.
liherald.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, over 4,300 New Yorkers age 60 and older lost $203.4 million to financial scams, averaging $47,000 per victim, with the "grandparent scam" being one of the most common schemes targeting seniors. AARP New York and a coalition of state officials are urging legislative leaders to include fraud prevention measures in the state budget, including training bank employees to recognize exploitation and authorize them to place holds on suspicious transactions. Governor Hochul's proposal aims to strengthen financial institutions' ability to detect and prevent scams while giving law enforcement better opportunity to intervene before funds are lost.
liherald.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, older New Yorkers age 60 and older lost $203.4 million to financial scams—averaging $47,000 per victim—prompting AARP New York and state officials to urge legislators to include consumer protection measures in the state budget. The proposed legislation would train bank employees to recognize and halt suspicious transactions targeting seniors, with the "grandparent scam" being among the most common schemes used to defraud older adults. State and federal officials emphasized that financial institutions must play an active role in preventing these increasingly sophisticated crimes.
usatoday.com
· 2025-12-08
Luis Alfonso Bisono Rodriguez, a 34-year-old Dominican Republic citizen living in Cleveland, was indicted for operating a grandparent fraud scheme that defrauded at least five elderly victims (ages up to 91) of approximately $50,000 between June 2024 and January 2025. The scheme involved scammers posing as victims' relatives and authority figures (attorneys, bail bondsmen) to convince seniors to withdraw cash, which was then transported via rideshare drivers to locations where Rodriguez collected and wired the money to the Dominican Republic. This case reflects a broader trend in which elderly Americans lose as much as $3.4 billion annually to grandparent frau
natlawreview.com
· 2025-12-08
The CFTC secured a $2.3 million enforcement action and default judgment against Debiex, a fraudulent digital asset platform that operated a "pig butchering" romance scam, misappropriating over $2 million from customers who believed they were making legitimate cryptocurrency trades. Debiex operators cultivated romantic relationships with victims to gain trust, then solicited them to fund fake trading accounts that never actually traded. The judgment requires Debiex to pay $221,466 in civil penalties and $2.2 million in restitution, and qualified whistleblowers now have 90 days to claim awards of 10-30% of collected funds.
fox26houston.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans over 60 lost $3.4 billion to scams in 2023, an 11% increase from 2022, with the FBI receiving over 101,000 complaints from seniors that year—a 14% jump. Tech support fraud was the most common scam type, while investment fraud proved the costliest at $1.2 billion in losses, followed by tech support scams at $589 million and illegal call scams at over $700 million. The actual losses may be significantly higher since only about half of complaints to the Internet Crime Complaint Center included victim age data, and many seniors never report their losses due to stigma and emotional impact.
kjzz.org
· 2025-12-08
Elder fraud cases are rising nationwide, with Arizona experiencing the highest rate at 289 cases per 100,000 seniors, and older adults losing $3.4 billion to scams in 2023. Louise Harrison, 73, lost $2,000 in an Arizona jury duty scam in which fraudsters impersonated law enforcement and sent a fake arrest warrant to pressure payment. Experts warn that scams are evolving to exploit technology, including voice-cloning AI, romance schemes, and urgent payment demands via phone, text, and social media, and recommend education and awareness efforts through organizations like AARP, the Better Business Bureau, and R.O.S.E. to protect
wired.com
· 2025-12-08
This article is not about elder fraud but rather cybersecurity and government security breaches. It covers how senior Trump administration officials made multiple security errors, including accidentally adding a journalist to a confidential Signal chat about military operations, leaving personal Venmo accounts publicly visible, and having passwords and phone numbers exposed online through data breaches—creating vulnerabilities that could be exploited by foreign adversaries.
securityaffairs.com
· 2025-12-08
On February 27, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Ohio filed a civil forfeiture complaint for $8.2 million in cryptocurrency linked to a "pig butchering" romance scam, in which fraudsters built false romantic and financial relationships with victims via anonymous messaging apps before exploiting them. One Cleveland victim liquidated over $650,000 in retirement savings; the FBI used blockchain intelligence to trace funds across multiple crypto platforms and networks, ultimately leading to the seizure and reissuance of the frozen Tether tokens for victim restitution. This case highlights the rapidly growing threat of pig butchering scams—often operated by human trafficking syndicates from
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Department of Justice seized over $8.2 million in Tether cryptocurrency stolen through "romance baiting" scams, where victims were manipulated into investing on fraudulent platforms offering false returns, then prevented from withdrawing funds. The seizure involved 38 victimized cryptocurrency accounts with confirmed losses exceeding $5.2 million, with named victims from five states losing over $1.6 million collectively, and the worst individual loss reaching $663,352; the scam operation is believed linked to human trafficking syndicates in Cambodia and Myanmar. The recovered assets will enable restitution to identified victims and others the FBI is attempting to locate through wallet tracing.
aba.com
· 2025-12-08
I cannot summarize this content as it is not an article about scams, fraud, or elder abuse. This appears to be a navigation menu or site structure from a banking industry website (likely the American Bankers Association). It contains only topic headers, training categories, and committee listings with no substantive information about a specific fraud case, scam, or elder abuse incident.
Please provide an actual article or transcript related to elder fraud for summarization.
fox9.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans over 60 lost $3.4 billion to scams in 2023, an 11% increase from 2022, with the FBI receiving over 101,000 complaints from this age group and an average loss of nearly $34,000 per victim. Tech support fraud was the most common scam type, while investment fraud was the costliest at $1.2 billion in losses, followed by tech support scams at $589 million and illegal impersonation calls at $700 million. The actual figures may be significantly higher since only half of reported complaints included victim age data and many seniors never report their losses due to stigma.
agrinews-pubs.com
· 2025-12-08
Data breaches and financial scams targeting seniors have reached all-time highs, with scammers exploiting seniors' perceived wealth, politeness, and limited technology skills. The article recommends protective measures including regularly monitoring credit reports through annualcreditreport.com, placing credit locks at major bureaus, taking technology safety classes, and screening unknown callers to reduce vulnerability to fraud.
seattletimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Swedish man Olaf Kyros Gustafsson, known as "El Silencio," was extradited to Los Angeles and indicted on 115 counts for operating Escobar Inc., a scam that sold nonexistent Pablo Escobar-branded products (including flamethrowers, phones, and cryptocurrency) to customers worldwide from 2019 to 2023. Instead of delivering products, Gustafsson sent customers certificates of ownership and promotional materials while pocketing payments made through PayPal, Stripe, and Coinbase. He was arrested in Spain in December 2023 and is currently in federal custody awaiting trial scheduled for May 20
tucson.com
· 2025-12-08
Tax season presents increased fraud risk, with scammers using phishing emails, impersonation calls, and fake refund promises to steal personal information and money. Experts warn that recent IRS workforce cuts may embolden criminals by creating uncertainty and potentially slowing the agency's response to fraud reports, and they advise taxpayers to watch for red flags like urgency tactics, threats, suspicious links, and promises of inflated refunds, while only using accredited tax professionals and reporting scams directly to the IRS.
agrinews-pubs.com
· 2025-12-08
Data breaches and financial scams targeting seniors have reached all-time highs, with scammers exploiting seniors' perceived wealth, politeness, and limited technology skills. The article recommends protective measures including regularly monitoring credit reports through annualcreditreport.com, placing credit locks with the three major bureaus, taking technology safety classes, and refusing to engage with unknown callers.
pattayamail.com
· 2025-12-08
A 26-year-old transgender woman in Pattaya, Thailand met a Cambodian man named "Lek" through a dating app who gained her trust by performing helpful domestic tasks before stealing approximately 20,000 baht in cash and personal items from her apartment. After the theft, the suspect blocked her on all platforms and fled on a motorcycle; CCTV footage captured his departure, and the victim reported the incident to local police while warning others about the dangers of trusting strangers met online.
globenewswire.com
· 2025-12-08
A 2025 Nasdaq Verafin analysis of European financial crime found that an estimated $750 billion in illicit funds flowed through Europe's financial system in 2023, with approximately $194.9 billion (over a quarter of total money laundering) moved across borders. The report identified fraud, elder abuse, human trafficking, and drug trafficking as major drivers of financial crime, resulting in an estimated $103.6 billion in fraud losses across the region, and emphasized the need for cross-border collaboration and advanced technology to combat these crimes.
patch.com
· 2025-12-08
Regina Henaku, 33, of Leominster, Massachusetts, was indicted on multiple counts after posing as a professional caregiver at health care facilities and assisted living centers in Worcester and Middlesex Counties, where she stole bank cards from at least 16 elderly victims over age 60 between August and November 2024. She used the stolen cards to steal approximately $28,000 from 11 victims and attempted to steal from others, while also using forged identities of a relative and former coworker to gain employment at multiple facilities. Henaku was charged with nine counts of larceny over $250 from an elderly or disabled person, credit card fraud, identity frau
hopkintonindependent.com
· 2025-12-08
Regina Henaku, 33, of Leominster was indicted on nine counts including larceny and identity fraud for allegedly stealing approximately $28,000 from at least 16 elderly victims over 60 years old between August and November 2024. Henaku posed as a professional caregiver at multiple health care facilities and assisted living homes across Worcester and Middlesex counties, fraudulently using stolen credentials to gain employment and then stealing the bank cards of victims. She worked at five different facilities including Fairview Estates in Hopkinton, and was also charged with obstructing justice by misleading police about her identity during the investigation.
newsbreak.com
· 2025-12-08
Hector Claveria, 51, of New York was sentenced to two years in federal prison for money laundering in March 2025 after wiring $20,000 overseas to conceal proceeds from fraudulent schemes targeting elderly and vulnerable victims. The laundered funds were connected to an elder fraud scheme where perpetrators deceived seniors into sending cash by falsely claiming they owed money to government agencies, as well as a computer fraud scheme involving fake tech service debt. Claveria, who acted as a money mule, was also ordered to forfeit $20,000 and complete three years of supervised release.
aba.com
· 2025-12-08
I cannot provide a summary of this content. What you've shared appears to be a navigation menu or table of contents from a banking industry website (likely the American Bankers Association), not an article about elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse.
To help you, please provide:
- An actual article or transcript about a specific scam, fraud case, or elder abuse incident
- The article text, not just menu links or structural elements
I'm ready to summarize elder fraud-related content once you share the relevant material.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Four individuals were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering as part of a sweepstakes scam that defrauded elderly and vulnerable victims of over $4.5 million across Pennsylvania and the United States. The defendants and their co-conspirators contacted victims claiming they had won multi-million-dollar prizes and used forged documents to convince them to send money in taxes and fees, which was then laundered through bank accounts and money mules to conspirators in Jamaica. All four defendants were arrested between March 14-27, 2025, and face sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
cknxnewstoday.ca
· 2025-12-08
The Ontario Provincial Police are warning residents about "smishing" scams, where fraudsters send deceptive text messages impersonating banks, government agencies, or retailers to trick victims into clicking malicious links or calling fraudulent numbers, potentially leading to identity theft, financial fraud, or malware installation. The OPP recommends protecting yourself by avoiding unknown links, using multi-factor authentication, reporting suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM), and verifying messages directly with organizations. Victims should contact their local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or report online via the Fraud Reporting System.
pymnts.com
· 2025-12-08
British banks (Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds), tech companies (Amazon, Meta, Google), and telecoms (BT, Three) have pledged to increase real-time data-sharing on fraud indicators to detect scammers faster, moving beyond a 2023 pilot program to exchange tens of thousands of data points daily. Fraud accounts for 41% of offenses in England and Wales, costing an estimated $8.8 billion annually, with investment scams causing median losses of $1,104 and romance scams causing median losses of $1,996 per victim.
saharareporters.com
· 2025-12-08
Three Nigerian nationals—Olumide Olorunfunmi, Samson Amos, and Emmanuel Unuigbe—pleaded guilty to a multimillion-dollar money laundering conspiracy involving romance scams and business email compromise fraud that victimized over 125 individuals from 2020 to 2023. The conspirators deceived elderly victims and businesses into transferring funds, then laundered the money through multiple domestic and international accounts while converting stolen dollars to Nigerian currency at black market rates. The three defendants face a combined potential 60-year prison sentence, with money laundering charges carrying a maximum 20 years per defendant.
infosecurity-magazine.com
· 2025-12-08
US authorities recovered $8.2 million in stolen cryptocurrency from a "romance baiting" scam ring that targeted at least 30 victims through fake investment schemes initiated on dating sites, with one Cleveland-area victim losing her entire $650,000 retirement account. The Department of Justice used blockchain analysis to trace the laundered funds across multiple cryptocurrency platforms and networks, ultimately seizing them for potential restitution to victims. Romance baiting scams typically involve scammers grooming victims on dating platforms before persuading them to invest in fraudulent schemes, with operations often run by trafficked individuals in Southeast Asia.
coinfomania.com
· 2025-12-08
A South Korean court sentenced three fraudsters to 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5 years in prison for operating a fake cryptocurrency investment scheme in Busan that defrauded victims of $416,000 by promising unrealistic 30% monthly returns and restricting fund withdrawals. The scammers manipulated investors through false promises, prevented withdrawals to maintain control of funds, and used referral schemes to attract additional victims. South Korean authorities are intensifying efforts to combat cryptocurrency fraud through stricter regulations and increased oversight, while warning investors to be cautious of schemes promising high returns with minimal risk.
irishexaminer.com
· 2025-12-08
WhatsApp scams in Ireland surged 65% in the second half of 2024, with victims losing an average of €1,200 each, according to fintech firm Revolut's security report. Ireland ranked second globally for WhatsApp fraud after the UK, with such scams representing 12% of all fraud cases, as criminals exploit the false perception that encrypted messaging platforms provide protection against fraud. Revolut warned that fraudsters are increasingly targeting users through personal channels like community group chats, exploiting the sense of security that comes with direct messaging.
siliconrepublic.com
· 2025-12-08
WhatsApp scams in Ireland surged nearly 65% in the second half of 2024, with Ireland ranking second in Europe for such fraud after the UK, and victims losing an average of €1,200 per incident—significantly higher than the €260 average from Facebook scams. Revolut's financial crime analysis attributes the rise to users' false sense of security when contacted by someone with their phone number on encrypted messaging apps, despite end-to-end encryption providing little protection against fraud. The report notes that Meta platforms account for nearly 60% of all scams, with fraudsters increasingly targeting WhatsApp over other social media channels.
breakingnews.ie
· 2025-12-08
Irish consumers are increasingly targeted by WhatsApp scams, losing an average of €1,200 per incident, with Ireland ranking second in Europe for such fraud after the UK in 2024. WhatsApp scam cases in Ireland spiked by 65 percent from the first to second half of 2024, representing 12 percent of all fraud cases, as criminals exploit the false sense of security provided by encrypted messaging platforms. Financial institutions warn that encryption does not prevent fraud and urge consumers to remain vigilant against unsolicited WhatsApp messages, even from contacts with legitimate-seeming phone numbers.
pratidintime.com
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Dipjyoti Bora, a resident of Dibrugarh, was arrested by Guwahati police for orchestrating an elaborate romance scam that defrauded at least ten women of approximately ₹50 lakh. Bora used fake identities, including posing as an Oil India employee, to charm victims—primarily divorced bank employees—on dating apps, building trust before extracting money through fabricated promises of love and marriage. Police seized luxury vehicles, multiple mobile phones, and financial documents during his arrest, with authorities expecting additional victims to come forward.
drinksindustryireland.ie
· 2025-12-08
Bank of Ireland warns that fraudsters continuously employ multiple scam tactics beyond April Fool's Day, with the most common schemes including investment fraud, smishing texts, vishing calls, purchase scams, romance scams, family impersonation, rental/holiday fraud, money mule recruitment, malware, and phishing emails. The bank emphasizes that victims should watch for red flags such as promises of unrealistic returns, pressure to act quickly, celebrity endorsements of investments, and demands for secrecy, while never sharing PINs, activation codes, or other sensitive credentials. Bank of Ireland offers 24/7 fraud support at 1800 946 764 to help customers identify
valadao.house.gov
· 2025-12-08
Congressmen David Valadao, Brittany Pettersen, Tom Suozzi, and Craig Goldman introduced the bipartisan Romance Scam Prevention Act, which requires online dating platforms to notify users if they have interacted with someone removed from the app for fraudulent activity. Romance scams cost Americans over $1.1 billion in 2023, with scammers using fake identities to manipulate victims into financial exploitation on platforms used by over 60 million Americans.
timesofsandiego.com
· 2025-12-08
Jiaci Liu pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after participating in a tech support scam targeting senior citizens in California and Arizona. Between June 2023 and his arrest, Liu collected over $202,500 from six victims (aged 63-83) who were tricked by fake pop-up warnings and fraudulent bank representatives into withdrawing cash. Liu's role involved collecting the withdrawn funds from victims' homes; he was arrested after a Poway resident became suspicious when instructed to hand over $28,000 to a supposed U.S. Marshals Service representative and contacted police instead.
states.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
Candice Trees, a 71-year-old Illinois retiree, lost $12,000 in a romance scam after developing an online relationship with a man claiming to work abroad who eventually asked to borrow money. In 2024, over 71,000 Illinois consumers reported fraud cases totaling $318.1 million, prompting AARP Illinois to expand prevention efforts through monthly educational programs and advocacy for stricter cryptocurrency ATM regulations, as losses from crypto-related scams topped $65 million nationally in the first half of 2024 with seniors disproportionately affected.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Bradley Morgan Holts, a 54-year-old former financial advisor and stockbroker in Orange, Texas, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in March 2025 for deceiving investors. Holts created a fraudulent bank account posing as "Invesco Investment Texas" to solicit client funds intended for legitimate Invesco investments, which he then misappropriated for personal use. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing.
newsbreak.com
· 2025-12-08
A man pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after targeting senior citizens in California and Arizona through a tech support scam scheme. Between June 2022 and June 2023, Jiaci Liu and his co-conspirators defrauded six victims—ranging from their mid-70s to 83 years old—of over $202,500 by using fake pop-up alerts claiming computer viruses, then posing as bank representatives to convince victims to withdraw cash. Liu was arrested in June 2023 outside a Poway resident's home after attempting to collect $28,000; he is scheduled for sentencing in June 2025.
spectrumlocalnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Betty and Phil Runkle were defrauded by contractor Jeffrey Wackwitz, who took thousands of dollars for home renovation work that was never completed, leaving them in severe debt with a foreclosed home and repossessed vehicle. With assistance from the Center for Elder Law and Justice's multidisciplinary team, the couple pursued legal action; Wackwitz was convicted, sentenced to up to three years in prison, ordered to pay $60,000 in restitution (of which $8,000 was repaid), and issued a stay-away order. The case illustrates the importance of verifying contractor credentials and seeking help from elder fraud resources when exploited.
pcmag.com
· 2025-12-08
According to a 2024 Statista study, 90% of US adults aged 65 and older use the internet, making them frequent targets for online scams, particularly in states with older populations like Florida and Texas. The National Council on Aging recommends six protective strategies including listening without judgment, encouraging delayed responses to urgent-sounding messages, and involving anti-fraud organizations and peer networks to help vulnerable seniors recognize and avoid romance scams, crypto schemes, and other fraud.
tech.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article presents six tips to help seniors avoid scams, emphasizing the importance of listening without judgment, encouraging delays in responding to urgent requests, and leveraging anti-fraud resources like the FBI, AARP, and local senior centers. The piece notes that 90% of US adults aged 65 and older use the internet, making them targets for scammers who exploit their varying levels of technological comfort and social isolation.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
A 36-year-old Florida woman pleaded guilty to wire fraud for embezzling approximately $535,751 in customer cash down payments and deposits from a New Orleans car dealership where she worked as a senior accountant between November 2018 and May 2023. She concealed the theft by creating fake journal entries in the dealership's records and agreed to pay full restitution as part of her plea agreement. She faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing scheduled for June 25, 2025.
boston.com
· 2025-12-08
Regina Henaku, a 33-year-old from Leominster, Massachusetts, was indicted on nine counts including larceny from elders and identity fraud for stealing approximately $28,000 from elderly patients between August and November 2024. She posed as a health care professional using stolen identities at five different facilities across Worcester and Middlesex counties, fraudulently using credit and debit cards from at least 11 patients over age 60 without their knowledge.
cslea.com
· 2025-12-08
Nitun "Nate" Dayalghai Ahir, 43, was arraigned in March 2025 on felony charges including unlicensed practice of medicine, fraudulent use of medical credentials, theft from an elder, and identity theft after operating at a Ventura spine clinic while falsely claiming to be a physician with specialties in neurology and neuropathy. The defendant allegedly used an elderly victim's personal information to fraudulently obtain a line of credit without consent and exploited a position of trust with the vulnerable adult. Ahir pleaded not guilty and remains free on $10,000 bail pending trial.
english.gujaratsamachar.com
· 2025-12-08
A 67-year-old retired senior bank manager in Surat was kept under "digital arrest" for 48 days by fraudsters impersonating Delhi Crime Branch and CBI officials who convinced him he was involved in a ₹6.89 crore money laundering case. The scammers extorted ₹1.05 crore from the victim through multiple bank transfers by threatening legal action and sending fake official documents via WhatsApp. The victim discovered the fraud only after receiving an RBI awareness message about digital arrest scams and reported it to cybercrime authorities, who have registered an investigation.