“I Lost Money, I Lost My Mental Health,” YouTuber Ankush Bahuguna Shares Details Of His 40-Hr-Long ‘Digital Arrest’

YouTuber Ankush Bahuguna became the latest victim of a digital arrest scam. He shared his scary and traumatic experience on Instagram and how he was “arrested digitally” for almost 40 hours! Recounting the entire ordeal, he talked about feeling unsafe and how it impacted his mental health. He shared his experience with the hope of raising awareness among people. Scroll on to know what he went through.

Ankush Bahuguna Talks About The Digital Arrest Scam

 

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

We hear about online scams and cybercrimes all the time, and it seems like no one is safe from these silly-looking scams. Popular YouTuber Ankush Bahuguna was held hostage for almost 40 hours as part of a digital arrest scam. He took to Instagram to share the traumatic experience and how he still couldn’t believe he had fallen prey to such a cybercrime.

“I was held hostage by some scammers, I am still in a little shock. I have lost money, I have lost my mental health to this. And I can’t believe this happened to me,” he said in the video. He talked in detail about how the scammers manipulated him, threatened him about the safety of his family, and how his friends helped him get out of this whole situation.

Ankush Bahuguna shared that he got a call while returning from the gym from a “very weird number” which started with +1. He picked it up and was greeted with an automated call that said his courier delivery had been cancelled. While he knew he hadn’t sent any such courier, he went ahead and was told that the “package” contained illegal material and had been seized by the customs department. To lure him further, the scammers said that they would transfer the call to the police who would help him further.

He was then told that his name had been used in serious crimes like money laundering, drug trafficking, and more. Obviously scared, Ankush asked the police for help. At this point, Ankush mentioned that the scammers did their research well and knew what would affect him. They even called him a “prime suspect” in a “national case” and that he was under ” self-custody.”

Also Read: “Wanted To Take Me For A Ride,” Man Busts An Inventive New Scam By Bengaluru Airport Cab Driver

Wishes To Raise Awareness About This Scam

Ankush Bahuguna was asked to cut all contact with his family and friends during his digital arrest period. To reassure his friends and family, he was allowed to send them messages, but they were also monitored by the scammers. Ankush recounts how his friends even reached his home to check on him as this behaviour wasn’t like him.

During these 40 hours, Ankush was asked to head to the bank to make a transaction, which luckily didn’t go through, stayed at a hotel arranged by the scammer, and was not allowed to sleep at all. Thankfully, his friends realized something wasn’t right and sent him a message telling him about such a scam. Upon reading it, he immediately cut off the call and ran from the hotel.

In his post, he mentioned that since he wasn’t aware of the digital arrest scam that got quite popular recently, he easily fell prey to it. He said he wanted to share his experience to make people aware of such scams.

Also Read: X User Records Digital Arrest Scam & Shares How The Fake Cop Tried To Extort Money From Him; Netizens React

We often call such scams silly and think who can fall for such cases. However, when things like this actually happen to you, it gets quite scary. As Ankush said, not everybody reacts the same way to panic. So, instead of judging someone, we should work towards educating ourselves and be more aware of such cases. We hope with this we can raise awareness and help you all avoid such scary situations in the future.

Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/ankushbahuguna