Kerala is a breeding ground for various types of frauds. Anyone can easily cheat anyone and accumulate money. Many people are like, "Just cheat me and escape." If earlier there were direct frauds, today the form and nature of fraud have changed with the development of technology. Today, it is possible to cheat any amount of money without any effort and without even meeting each other in person. Governments, police and cyber experts are continuously issuing warnings about online frauds from various centres. However, frauds are increasing, not decreasing. Many people are losing money from bank deposits in this way.

In the latest case related to cyber fraud, police have arrested a Taiwanese man and woman who expertly duped a doctor couple from Cherthala of over Rs 7.5 crore online. The Kerala police were led to the Taiwan natives by the tips received from the fraudsters who were arrested earlier in a similar case in Sabarmati, Gujarat. The Taiwanese couple had established a close relationship with the doctor couple through WhatsApp chat and promised very high returns on their investments. They duped the doctor couple of Rs 7.65 crore in this way. The couple filed a complaint with the police when the fraud was finally discovered. When the doctor couple asked for the money to be returned, the fraudsters said that they would return the deposit if the couple paid another Rs 2 crore. The victims sought help from the police only when they realized that they would lose that money too.

The financial loss suffered by a doctor couple in Cherthala is a good example of how even the most knowledgeable and educated people can be easily fooled by cybercriminals. The desire to see the money in their hands increase many times in the shortest possible time is what drives many to fall into such traps. There are daily reports of increasing cyber frauds in the country. It is not the people who are unaware of it who fall prey to these frauds. The main reason for falling into the trap of fraudsters is greed. The Prime Minister himself had come forward to inform the people that there is no such arrangement as virtual arrest in the country and that no investigative agency dares to take such action. Even after this, many virtual arrests have been made and the victims have lost a lot of money.

This is an example of how people do not learn by seeing or experiencing it themselves. The harvest season for those who have mastered the art of fraud began when online money transactions became common. The only way to escape from this is for people to be vigilant against fraudsters. People should have the wisdom to understand that highly skilled fraudsters are lurking behind any message that promises excessive profits. They should inform the cybercrime or police as soon as they realize that they are being led into a trap by those on the other side. The relevant centres should be informed not when they lose money, but when they get clues about the tricks that lead to it. It is best to avoid such situations completely.