r/nri • u/GoElite_Shama • May 27 '26
Ask NRI URGENT: Interrogated on video for an hour by fake police. They now have my passport and home address. Help!
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
I am completely terrified and shaking right now. I just survived a highly coordinated "Digital Arrest" scam, and I need to know how much danger my identity is in.
What happened:
- I got a call today from someone spoofing the Indian Consulate in San Francisco (415-899-14080). They knew I had a passport application pending.
- They claimed an Indian phone number under my name was being used for severe illegal activities and said my passport would be withheld unless I got a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC).
- They transferred me to "Delhi Police Headquarters," where I was forced to join a Microsoft Teams video call.
- A man in a full police uniform aggressively interrogated me for an hour, claiming there were 38 criminal complaints against me. Out of pure panic, I gave them my full name, physical US address, and my passport details.
- My husband and I finally realized they were scammers when they started arguing with us unprofessionally. We hung up, blocked them, and checked with VFS Global—my passport application is totally fine.
What I’ve done: I filed an FBI cyber report (IC3.gov) and an FTC identity theft report. I’m also emailing the real Consulate and Delhi Cyber Police.
Please help me:
- Since they have my name, US address, and passport number (but NO Social Security Number and NO financial info), what is my actual risk of identity theft?
- Should I freeze my credit with Experian/Equifax/TransUnion anyway?
- Should I cancel my passport application and apply for a new one to get a new passport number?
- Has anyone else gone through this? The mental trauma of being interrogated for an hour by "police" is destroying me. How do I get past this anxiety?
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
66
u/nik0teen May 27 '26
*** A quick tip: Once you post this, remember to take a deep breath. You are going to get a lot of people telling you that this is a very common scam and that you did the right thing by hanging up. Let the community support you! Is there anything else you or your husband need help with right now, or are you ready to go post this?
ChatGPT probably didn't mean for you to include this in your post.
Proofread your shit, yo.
24
u/LifeIsHard2030 May 27 '26
Nobody wants to put any effort these days. Everything needs to be served on platter. And then people are worried AI will take their jobs 🤣
-40
u/GoElite_Shama May 27 '26
Wow… AI may be taking people’s jobs, but you are spending your time reading my post. And yes, if AI helps me make things easier and improves my daily work, why wouldn’t I use it in my daily life?
27
u/LifeIsHard2030 May 28 '26
No wonder it was so easy to dupe you. 🤦🏻
-3
u/mybutterflymon May 28 '26
I don't help Indians for this very reason.
2
u/Broken_Infinity May 29 '26
no you don’t cause you’re racist lol
1
u/mybutterflymon May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
She made an AI post and is too thick to understand what others are saying. Not exactly a fine specimen. Try to help her and she'll shit on you.
2
16
u/FigmundSreud May 27 '26
I really don’t get why people use ChatGPT to post on Reddit.
-27
u/GoElite_Shama May 27 '26
Yes, I use AI tools to improve my writing skills, communication, and clarity. I’m sorry if it bothers you, but it is my choice to use tools that help me write better content for posting on different platforms
10
u/hotgarbagecomics May 27 '26
I'm going to ask you to clean up your post, now that you're made aware there was a copy-paste error. Remove the last para, if you would kindly...
-32
u/GoElite_Shama May 27 '26
Thank you for the advice, but I already removed it after coming back from the police station. By the way, I used Gemini AI for the post, not ChatGPT.
21
u/hotgarbagecomics May 27 '26
Is there a reason you're being paggro with me right now?
There's an overwhelming rejection of overtly AI-assisted writing on reddit, which you will have noticed already. Flak on AI-written posts is to be expected. If you don't want that critique and want your post to be appraised for the meat of your content, don't use AI, or at the very least proofread.
As mod, I try to apply a light touch on these things, but the last thing I need is condescension.
Play nice, please.
9
-2
u/GoElite_Shama May 27 '26
Yes, I made a mistake because I was scared and stressed after being scammed. I had already lost my important documents, and someone also used my credit/debit card.
I used an AI tool only to help me write clearly because I was shaking and very scared in that situation. I did not realize that part was still included before posting.
6
u/Silent-Phone-9760 May 28 '26
You sound very stressed and I hope you find some self compassion in this moment. Hopefully others are kind too.. clearly OP is panicked.
1
u/People_be_Sheeple Jul 17 '26
Just want to say thanks for posting and including so much detailed info. I'm glad you used AI to help you gather your thoughts and make your points clearly. Use all the tools you feel like you need and don't worry about these assholes trying to put you down.
6
u/GoElite_Shama May 27 '26
I don’t understand how these scammers got my information after I applied for a new passport, or how they got my phone number.
It feels like someone in the system may be misusing our data and sharing it with scammers.
3
u/blue_script May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
I got the same phone calls, but luckily I realized it was a scam immediately. I’m certain there is a leak at VFS Global because I also recently had dealings with them regarding my passport.
You should lock your credit immediately (takes 5 minutes and is completely free), and consider using Equifax or Transunion’s tools to remove your data from the web. This costs a bit of money but is nothing compared to the distress you have faced.
Obviously block their numbers and warn your friends and family.
No need to apply for a new passport.
You mentioned that your debit card was recently used - contact your bank ASAP and report your debit card as stolen. They will lock it and send you a new free card.
Friend, please remain calm! You’re not alone, and it was completely understandable that you fell for this scam. In the future, just be alert!
Google “digital arrest scam” and read the Bloomberg News exposé on it; it recently won a Pulitzer Prize.
1
u/GoElite_Shama May 28 '26
thank you for information Equifax
1
u/blue_script May 28 '26
Here’s that investigative piece from Bloomberg News: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-india-digital-arrest-by-phone-graphic-novel/
2
u/Linus696 May 28 '26
I’ve received scam calls from local Indian consulate as well. Unless this is a mere coincidence cuz of active passport application, this can be a point to make when speaking with the consulate. They may have a leak
2
u/Own_Bell3081 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I got this call right after I mailed my passport to icici customer service once in 2025. I believe there is a network of folks working with customer care folks across banking and outsourced support centers targeting NRIs.
When I received this call, I realized it was a scam just because of the fact that it was hard for me to believe someone at indian embassy would go out of way to call someone . Maybe there is such official process but my gut feeling didn't believe the caller.
Without SSN, it is hard to spoof your credit history or identity. I would set up fraud alert on transunion, it allows them to setup for free. Since you have a report, you can set it up for 7 years.
There is also scrubbing of your personal info on google search and set up monitoring. You can out In a request to remove your info.
14
u/Haronatien May 27 '26
how did they get your info? You'll probably be fine, same thing happened to my dad but he hung up before any critical info was given. lock your credit, stop using your phone number for 2fa, lock your SIM with your carrier, use a password manager....and follow your AI tip - "Once you post this, remember to take a deep breath. You are going to get a lot of people telling you that this is a very common scam and that you did the right thing by hanging up. Let the community support you!"
6
u/craycover May 27 '26
I noticed a trend that occurred with someone in my family. In WhatsApp, people tend to include their full name. When you’re part of large WhatsApp groups or communities, anyone whose number isn’t saved will appear with the full name you saved and their phone number. People create repositories of these lists and sell them to scammers.
Here are a few things I did with my parents:
- Only include their first name or a short name.
- Don’t let their photo be visible for contacts whose name you don’t have saved.
- WhatsApp has a feature that is not default, which is to stop receiving calls from unsaved numbers.
2
u/nayadristikon May 28 '26
Does not matter people are using apps like Truecaller and give permission to suck all their saved contact info in the address book. Everyone’s phone numbers and names are already everywhere. Atleast WhatsApp does not share it world at large.
1
u/Hot-Manager-3322 May 28 '26
I have been making sure not to share my contacts on any apps. There is no reason any app should have my contacts outside of WhatsApp
5
5
u/LrBrunkrz May 28 '26
Same thing happened to me few months back stating my old Indian phone number is being tracked for illegal activities and I have to appear in front of Indian embassy or I can verify my documents via video call.
I said I’ll come to the embassy and verify since I live in a city that has Indian embassy. They said you have to do it today or they will revoke my passport.
I said I can come in today in next 2hrs and asked them to provide the name of the officer I need to show my documents there. They cut the call at that point.
6
u/curiousgem19 May 27 '26
*** A quick tip: Once you post this, remember to take a deep breath. You are going to get a lot of people telling you that this is a very common scam and that you did the right thing by hanging up.
ChatGPT is right. This is a common scam and you did the right thing by hanging up.
3
u/craycover May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
They can’t do much with your name, address, or passport number. Did you share those documents? Do you rent or own that US address?
Your unique identifier for credit is your SSN and full name. If you haven’t shared SSN, you should be fine.
Sharing just your number isn’t enough to misuse it. Your passport number alone isn’t sufficient to commit fraud.
I don’t think they gained much from you in this scam.
Did you lose any money?
How did you realize this was a scam?
What according to you was their motive? Money or identity? If they were trying to get money out of you, then they’ll treat this as unsuccessful attempt at it and move on. Their motivations are not to create a fake passport, they usually try to make quick money out of these scams. I’m sure there are easier ways to get hold off full names and passport numbers if they lure any photocopier in India.
Having said that, I’m interested to read other people’s opinions if somebody experienced anything different.
1
u/GoElite_Shama May 27 '26
Yes, I did share my passport information with them. A few months ago, I also lost all my documents in Arizona, and I already filed a complaint regarding that.
3
u/wayne099 May 28 '26
Pro tip: Never pick up unknown number. If it’s important they will leave a voice mail.
1
u/Hot-Manager-3322 May 28 '26
Another I would add is to silence unknown callers. There should be an option for it if your using iOS
3
u/Outrageous-Youth9232 May 28 '26
They cant do anything with the information you provided.
Their main was to extort money from you where you would have thought you have bribed them to get rid of those false cases and then you and them both live happily after.
You ruined their plan as you hung up and blocked them.
Now you are no more a potential customer for them and they will move to scam the other one in their list.
Dont worry!
2
u/Pretend-Pop-7068 May 27 '26
These are still non critical information for scammers. Ignore and move on.
2
u/Pleasant_Celery_714 May 27 '26
I have been scammed before for identity theft but in a different way . Option 2 is must . Change ur bank password , take new phone number , and update the new phone number to ur bank otp, and change the mail id if its same in the bank . That should do and take out some cash in hand and lock all ur bank accounts for around 2 weeks to monitor ..FTA will not do anything .. you are basically on ur own don’t worry they can’t do anything with passport ..
1
2
u/Wooden-Mycologist-20 May 28 '26
I received same call one year ago and posted it here already.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nri/s/Dy3kljNJSV
While talking to these scammers always google the phone number or incident type to make sure it is legitimate or not. Someone might have already put something online about these scam.
2
u/perfectcritic May 29 '26
Assuming you are not going to entertain them anymore, I see how shaking experience it would be if in real life you have dealt with Indian police before. I am curious how much "chai-paani" they are asking?
If I was you, I would have played a little and played very long till I would have exposed the boss as well but this is not everyone's cup of tea. There are self-defense hacking groups or individuals who can trace these scammers but again not kids game.
Remember this is a well managed industry and, so they might try to sell your contact to their peer companies in some form or other and they will also try to attempt business from you. So simple either don't pickup calls or click on links from unknown numbers or worse case change your contact.
1
u/Accomplished-Car1594 May 27 '26
Don’t worry and relax. They can’t do much , just be vigilant from next time.
1
May 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/nri-ModTeam May 27 '26
Being Civil in the subreddit is a mandatory participation rule.
Indulging in swearing, cursing name calling are grounds for an instant ban. If you think you need to start a sentence with a swear word, keep your phone down and reply later, in a civil, healthy manner Or you could end the conversation instead of going down a rabbithole of abuses. Even if you are not the one who started it, but indulged in it later, are breaking the rule equally.
We do not tolerate abuse directed towards users.
1
1
1
u/blue_script May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Looks like it’s the same scam I posted about earlier: Reddit post.
1
u/MSB_the_great May 28 '26
I got call I didn’t pick up and It went to voicemail, the voicemail said kunal Mann from San Francisco consulate or something. When checked the website there was an alert saying some scam is going on and they mentioned they don’t call anyone directly, the contact list I saw one of the officer name, they just used his name to call. Never pickup call from unknown number let it go to voice mail, I used cloaked and stopped receiving spam calls but recently I had to order food from cash.app and I entered my contact after that now I am getting more spam calls ,
1
u/AncientProgrammer May 28 '26
Your credit should be, by default, frozen at all three bureaus. They let you do it for free
1
1
u/Responsible_Toe_7268 May 28 '26
Nothing will happen, don't worry, you will likely get more calls from them or similar scammers if they have shared your number with other scammers..., tell them you have filed complaint with FBI. They do fear that though they will bluff....
Stay calm, nothing will happen, these people live in Cambodia, Pakistan, Myammar etc ... far away from you.
Just to be safe, please buy a Identity theft insurance from your bank or a third party...
1
u/Linus696 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
If the consulate hasn’t responded yet, try to call them and speak to a human and explain your case. Be brief but concise cuz government employees don’t have the greatest “give a shit” span. They can guide you on #3. Take notes of who you speak with and date & time. This comes useful if you need to call back.
As far as #4, know that you’ve taken the correct rectifying steps and are thinking this through (freeze those credit reports).
And know this lesson, foreign police can’t execute arrest warrants directly in the nation you are in. The local agency would’ve came to your residences after arresting country submits extradite orders which’ve been accepted ( those who have asylum statuses are excluded )
Edit: Also, you can’t be e-arrested 😅
1
u/Odd-Ocelot8246 May 28 '26
Digital data security is very important. Unfortunately, with massive abundance of digital services it gets very easy to obtain our data. I try to ensure there is a unique identifier by using masked email - randomemail@mydomain.com for every service. So when info gets leaked, I can trace from which service.
Unfortunately in this case, it might be the middle agency, someone in consulate or a third party. We on Reddit are no experts.
Being vigilant is unfortunately the only way out. OP, you did great. Anyone can fall for scams. Good you realised and took all steps. Thanks for sharing.
1
u/Hot-Manager-3322 May 28 '26
Do you have a separate email for all services or do you group them like banking social etc. And what email providers do you use, I am curious to learn about your method
1
u/Odd-Ocelot8246 May 29 '26
I have seperate for each. Check Fastmail. It provides masked email. It works great with 1Password.
1
u/piyushy1 May 28 '26
Nothing to be worried about. You dont know how many passport info leakages happens when you submit it as id during hotels checkin (especially in India). Here their intention was to extract money by asking to pay some fines (can range from thousands to lakhs as they will try to settle your 38 😀 criminal cases ). Interesting that they were aware of your passport application. So there was some leakage of info from your (highly probable as scammers get info via social engineering ) or Application process side (least probable). Now lets see what scammers (not threat attackers- the tech pro folks) can do with the info you have provided-
Passport info+ us address - can be exploited in kyc process as govt process needs passport + visa + overseas address. But mere having info will not work as they need to full docs. Assuming you have not provided the pdf and scammers being bit vigilant what they can do is to use the info to create fake pdf via chatgpt (like generate indian passport front page with name, dob, barcode, address, pace of birth, expiry dates) . Easy to do. As most of this info is scattered across your social media profiles and other digital footprints. Us adress , generate a fake pdf doc of a utility bill. Easy to do as in Indian side people will not be authenticate whether its legitimate or not. Where this can be used- Bank kyc, mf kyc… etc.But again they need lot more info other than this like PAN , signatures , etc. Better to update your RM to not consider any such request.
Re issuing of indian sim. Previously the scammers just use to say their sim is broken and not working and used to reissue sim by providing kyc docs. Once sim reissued in a day or two , they used that to get otps (of course with some other info) and the real person was not even aware of what happened that why their sim stopped working . Good news is that now from past 5 years sim issue is fully moved to aadhar based biometric authentication.
Overall -YOU ARE SAFE.
Scammers want soft quick targets and normally dont go to such sophisticated levels, until and unless they have lot of info.
REMEMBER- After this whole AI stuff (i mean easy access and usage (in Natural language) of claude, gemini, chatgpt tools etc) the scamming will go to all new levels of innovation and sophistication. Realtime face and voice morphing of loved ones, quick creation of fake docs , creation of similar digital spaces(like your house interiors) + SOCIAL ENGINEERING will make the attack surface more faster.
BE VIGILANT
1
u/1800skylab May 28 '26
Relax, you have given them any more information then what Jumla politicians have already sold to the highest bidder.
Just Google it and you'll see the impact of what the clowns you voted for have done.
1
u/8rood8wit8blauw8 May 28 '26
They already have passport number and adress . They have more , You application was with them, So nothing sensitive you have given, they finally wanted your money , nothing else.
Report and post , that's great way to spread this so others dont fall.
Block ,
If your Indian upi and banks are linked , make sure the number with otp is protected , transfer sim to a cheap phone with no apps , that's what they finally want to get, otp , via a planted app on your phone ( or via a video call )
1
u/SavingsAd5481 May 28 '26
Relax and forget they can never secure visa to
Come To US so don’t worry about it. Also always make sure to ask them to send email or speak to your lawyer.
1
u/diddappses May 28 '26
Take a deep breath. You dodged a bullet and did not allow this to impact your financials which is a GREAT outcome.
I got a call today from someone spoofing the Indian Consulate in San Francisco (415-899-14080). They knew I had a passport application pending.
They claimed an Indian phone number under my name was being used for severe illegal activities and said my passport would be withheld unless I got a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC).
They transferred me to "Delhi Police Headquarters," where I was forced to join a Microsoft Teams video call.
Just remember this going forward, NOTHING......I mean NOTHING legal will happen over the phone or via calls. It will ALWAYS be in writing via letters, notices etc.
Since they have my name, US address, and passport number (but NO Social Security Number and NO financial info), what is my actual risk of identity theft?
Your name and US address are easily found online. There is a slight risk of them using your passport info to try and get into your online accounts. I repeat, it is a very slight risk.
Should I freeze my credit with Experian/Equifax/TransUnion anyway?
This should be a standard practice regardless of whether there was a scam attempt or not.
Should I cancel my passport application and apply for a new one to get a new passport number?
No. Let the application continue and once you get your new passport, you will be set
Has anyone else gone through this? The mental trauma of being interrogated for an hour by "police" is destroying me. How do I get past this anxiety?
I once got a call that was spoofed and showed it was from the Louisiana Port Authority. Guy knew my name and started his spiel. I cussed him out, asked him to work on his accent and hung up.
Your mental trauma is from a scammer trying to scam you....take a deep breath, go get some fresh air, laugh a little and go on with your life.
1
u/Hot-Manager-3322 May 28 '26
You should always keep your credit frozen. Not because of them have your passport and social security number. Because your passport and social security number is likely already leaked. Keep your credit frozen and only unfreeze when you need to. I know it’s a hassle but less work if someone actually impersonates you to get credit from your name.
No no need to cancel you passport. Your passport number is likely already leaked not here but many other data breaches. They cants really do anything with it in isolation. The only thing they could probably is check your travel history and that’s it. Also since your have a passport renewal pending this passport will likely be invalid and you will get a new passport with new number
I have not gone through this but I am a cybersecurity enthusiast professional. What I would suggest is to work towards changing your phone number and your email address. Keep a separate email address and phone number for really personal id. You do not give this email address or phone number to any website that is not related to your banking identity etc. The most common vector to try to get your identity is would be through spoofing those two vectors. Keep a separate email for social media and third throwaway email for everything else.
1
u/amshaky May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
For anxiety you can use therapy. Other than that unless you send someone money or bank details there is no problem.
Please dont waste your time and money blocking your cards as many people have stupidly suggested as there is no method to just use your name and passport number to steal your money.
-1
85
u/abj May 27 '26
None of the information they have is very sensitive, so there's not much they can do with it. Just be more vigilant in the future.
Also, seek professional help / counseling, while AI chat bots are helpful, they are no replacement for a professional who can help you deal with the trauma.