From sex racket connections to Israeli 'time machine'; will scams ever end?

Technology can prevent many frauds but the irony is that many frauds can also be carried out using the same technology. There are many types of frauds happening in cyberspace, from frauds committed by taking advantage of man's greed for excessive profits to frauds in the name of CBI and income tax department.

No one we don't know is going to give us money. Therefore, one can avoid these scams even if one take a decision not to make any financial transactions with strangers over the phone. Some people even accept passbooks and ATM cards of bank accounts by paying money to use them for scams. The fraudster will never get trapped when the case comes up. Only people like the migrant workers who took money and handed over the passbook will be arrested.

There are many groups that scam by spreading fake messages through social media. The most recent impact of one of these scams is the death of a mother in Agra due to cardiac arrest. The fraudsters tried to extort money from her by misleading her by saying that her daughter was part of a sex racket. Malti Verma, a teacher at a school in Agra, was called by the fraudsters and told about the consequences of her daughter's affairs coming out and demanded one lakh rupees to prevent the information from coming out. The fraudsters called Malti Verma claiming to be a police officer. Malti called her son and told him about it. While her son confirmed that it was a hoax when he checked the number, Malti Verma, who suffered chest pain as she could not bear the mental stress, died of cardiac arrest at the hospital.

Fraudsters often call us with even our personal information in order to make them feel trusted. No one should be willing to believe any information they get from numbers that they are not familiar with. Although the bank authorities have warned many times not to share bank account details over the phone, some do not comply with it becoming victims of fraud. Similarly, the OTP number that comes on our phones should not be passed on to strangers for any reason. Nowadays, it takes only a few minutes for fraudsters to empty our accounts. The reason why these frauds are so widespread is that it is possible to commit fraud in hiding. Even if a case is filed, it will be difficult to nab the real culprits.

Fraudsters are applying new techniques every day. In UP, a couple scammed their victims of Rs 35 crore by promising to reduce their age by 40 years using a special time machine made in Israel. Everyone with a minimum education knows that no machine can reduce your age. What is most regrettable is that the victims of such frauds, which are not in line with common sense, are those with education, high jobs, etc. There is a situation where people can be deceived by saying anything. That's what needs to change. It has become imperative to teach students about such frauds and ways to prevent it as part of the curriculum itself.