The manner in which online and other categories of confidence tricksters are getting away with the most outrageous scams is an indication that much of the general populace lacks the sophistication to deal with this increasing challenge. How far the scams can go is indicated by the fact that a number of elderly persons in Kanpur were conned into parting with tens of crores of rupees by promising to make them young again through an Israeli made machine. While this says a lot for the reputation Israel has developed for its ingenuity, it is shocking that people can be so credible. There is another case of a teacher dying of a heart attack when told over the phone that her daughter had been caught in a sex-racket and a bribe was required to set her free. That’s just part of today’s news.
Almost everyday reports of ‘digital arrests’ come in of gullible people parting with huge amounts of money to ‘pay off’ fake cops. The triggers, of course, are fear and greed, but there is also an inability to distinguish the real from the false. One reason for that is the flood of misinformation and fake news on social media. With news having become more of a source of ‘entertainment’ than accurate information, the mind has lost its ability to make the necessary distinctions. Even mainstream advertising has become a means to deceive and lure people into engaging in harmful activity. The disclaimers in tiny print that float across the screen are by no means adequate to ensure the consumers’ safety.
The ability provided by internet banking to transfer money ‘instantly’ has made it very difficult for victims to think twice before falling prey to scams. This is the downside of what is otherwise a significant advance in ease of living. And it is not so much the less educated who are falling prey – it is indeed surprising how many well-educated and supposedly ‘well-informed’ fall into the trap.
This is a major frontier where a war will be fought in the future to ensure the financial security of ordinary folk. Technology will play a part in meeting the challenge but generating awareness regarding the ways the scamsters operate is also crucial. The very media that are being used to set these traps should become the means to enlightening the possible targets on safety protocols.
