‘Patience, Calm and Zero Trust…’: Man’s advice after fake cop claims to arrest his son on rape charges

Gone are the days of robotic, easily identifiable fake calls. Artificial intelligence (AI) can now mimic human speech patterns with incredible accuracy, making it harder to distinguish between a real officer and a scammer.

A man named Pavan Jha, through a post on X platform, shared his experience of receiving a call from someone claiming to be a police officer. The scammer, likely using voice manipulation software powered by AI, fabricated a story about Jha's son being arrested with friends for a serious crime.

The caller alleged that his son, along with some friends, had been arrested on charges of rape and were under custody.

"A couple of weeks ago I got a similar cop call claiming that they have arrested my son with his friends for an allegation of Rape and they are in custody and I can speak to my son if I wish to" [AI Powered]

Adhering to a "Zero Trust" policy with unfamiliar callers, Jha advised the supposed officer to continue with the legal proceedings without involving him directly. He also asked for the name of the Inspector General the caller reported to. Instead of providing the necessary details, the alleged cop repeated his words aggressively and ended the call abruptly.

“I always follow "Zero Trust" formula with unknown people/callers no matter who they claim to be... I told the cop pls follow legal process, as there is no point talking to my son and asked him to share the details of IG he is reporting to... and as expected, he reiterated aggressively and then disconnected..,” he added. 

Jha suggests that youngsters, especially those studying in remote areas, easily fall prey to such troubling cyber threats. He highlighted the importance of patience, remaining calm, and a stringent no-trust policy when dealing with potential cybercrimes and scams.

“Patience, Calm and Zero Trust are three key factors in dealing with such cyber crimes and scams..,” he concluded the post.