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Influencer Ankush Bahuguna recently fell prey to digital arrest scam. He has now shared a 14-minute video recalling how the fraudsters deceived him and coerced him into making financial transactions.
Ankush Bahuguna REACTS To Those Asking How He Could Fall For Digital Arrest Scam
Popular social media influencer Ankush Bahuguna recently revealed that he fell prey to a digital arrest scam. He took to his Instagram account two days ago to recount how the fraudsters deceived him and coerced him into making financial transactions. He revealed that they held him ‘hostage’ for almost 40 hours, under the guise of ‘digital arrest’, and manipulated him with false accusations and isolation, leaving him mentally distressed. While many lauded him for making people aware of the scam, a few others asked how he could fall for the scam. He has now responded to people calling it ‘stupid.’
In the comment section on his Instagram post, Ankush Bahuguna addressed those asking how he fell prey to this scam so easily. “To everyone saying how could you fall for it it’s a scam – It’s easy to say but not everybody reacts the same way to panic, not everybody is aware of this scam, so many people have lost lakhs & crores to this scam. These people do research on you & tell you things they know will affect you & that’s exactly what happened. I don’t wish this on anyone. Stay safe and instead of calling this stupid, make ppl around you aware of it,” wrote Ankush.
In his Instagram video, Ankush Bahuguna said that he got an automated call from an international number, claiming that a package delivery was cancelled, luring him to press ‘zero’ for support. He pressed zero, and the call connected him to someone who told him that a package with illegal substances linked to his name was sent to China. Unaware that this was part of a scam, Ankush got scared and denied sending any package. However, he was told that this is a ‘serious crime’ and that his name, Aadhar number and other details were on the package. The representative also informed him that an arrest warrant had been issued against him. Ankush recalled that he was panicking, and that the representative convinced him that he doesn’t have enough time to go to the police station, which is why he will connect him to the police directly.
Ankush was then connected to someone who claimed to belong to the Mumbai police via a video call on WhatsApp. He said that the man on the other end was dressed in a police uniform, which led him to believe it was legit. He was told that he was a ‘prime suspect’ in a ‘national’ case and was accused of money laundering, which meant that he was in ‘self custody.’ The man convinced Ankush that basically meant that for the next 40 hours, he would not be able to cut the call or contact anyone.
“I was not allowed to pick up calls. I was not allowed to message people or reply to their messages, let anybody in the house. They told me that if I tried to reach out to anyone, they would arrest me and harm the people I contacted,” he said in the video. Ankush also recalled that he was asked to make suspicious transactions. “They took my bank details. They gathered so much personal information about my life,” he said. He also recalled that when his friends checked up on him, he was asked to pretend that everything is fine.
“I was shaking, I was anxious, and I kept thinking, ‘What is happening? What is going on?’ I was literally crying and begging them,” he said. He also shared how he was asked to move to a hotel, which he did. It was during that time when he saw a notification of a text message from a friend, who wrote that she feels he is being held hostage, and that it is a fraud. That’s when he realized something was wrong. He said that he it was ’40 hours of torture’ which he could have been saved from, had he realized it was a fraud in the first 5 seconds.
After narrating his ordeal, Ankush Bahuguna urged everyone to watch the news, and stay aware of such frauds.