The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sounded a nationwide alert after an unprecedented rise in cybercriminals impersonating CBI officers through WhatsApp messages, video calls, emails, and spoofed phone numbers.
These organised rackets are intimidating citizens with fabricated allegations and extorting money under the guise of settling non-existent investigations.
According to officials, fraudsters are now deploying advanced tools such as AI-generated summons, forged arrest warrants, doctored ID cards, and deepfake voices and videos to lend credibility to their threats.
Several individuals, unfamiliar with official procedures, have fallen victim to these manipulative tactics and suffered significant financial losses.
Issuing a strong warning, Additional SP (State Cyber Crime & Vigilance) Shri Narvir Singh Rathour, HPS, recipient of the union Home Minister’s Medal, stated that such impersonation scams are among the most psychologically coercive crimes witnessed in recent years.
He emphasised that CBI or any law-enforcement agency never sends notices through WhatsApp, demands payments, or threatens arrest over calls.
Rathore informed that the Himachal Pradesh Cyber Police is actively tracking VoIP-based networks and fake digital identities operating behind these frauds.
He urged citizens to disconnect immediately from suspicious calls, avoid responding to threatening messages, and report such incidents promptly to the national cyber helpline 1930.
The warning follows deliberations during a national-level meeting convened by the union Home Ministry with State Home Secretaries, DGPs, senior IPS officers, and central intelligence agencies, where multiple cyber-extortion patterns were flagged for urgent coordinated action.
The advisory, issued in public interest, calls upon citizens, particularly senior citizens, students, women, and digitally unaware individuals, to remain vigilant and verify before reacting to any purported communication from investigative agencies.