'FedEx says your parcel has drugs': The scam that trapped an Indian comedian

Ankita Shrivastav, a Mumbai-based stand-up comedian, was targeted in a sophisticated scam in October 2024. A caller claiming to be from FedEx informed her that a courier she sent to Iraq contained drugs, followed by a fake police "digital arrest" via video call. For eight hours, the scammers—posing as officers—monitored her, demanded sensitive financial details, and pressured her into approving transactions totaling 900,000 rupees ($9,300), which she later realized was stolen. The ordeal left Shrivastav psychologically exhausted, though she only shared her experience publicly in April 2024 through a YouTube sketch. She described the scammers as one step ahead of law enforcement, with no recovery of funds despite multiple police visits. Her case reflects a broader trend: India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported a nearly 50% rise in cybercrimes in 2024, with 101,928 cases registered and over 220 billion rupees lost to digital fraud. ‘Digital arrests’—where criminals impersonate authorities to extort money—are among the most reported scams. Scammers also exploit AI to clone voices, create fake investment apps, and trick victims into sharing one-time passcodes (OTPs). The NCRB’s 2024 report highlights pending backlogs, with around 100,000 cybercrime cases unresolved and 75,000 awaiting trial. India has taken steps to combat cybercrime, including the 2020 launch of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which collaborates with law enforcement to track digital threats. However, experts note that evolving tactics—like voice cloning and emotional manipulation—pose growing challenges to the criminal justice system. The NCRB attributes the rise in reported cases to better tracking but warns of deeper societal vulnerabilities tied to technology and urbanization.