Ram cautions that beyond overt digital missteps, our inner fault lines in behaviour and mindset need examination and correction, for Different Truths.
Recently, a 72-year-old businessman in Mumbai was allegedly duped of a staggering Rs 58 crore in a ‘digital arrest’ scam orchestrated by fraudsters posing as ED and CBI officials. The stupendous loss could be one of the largest reported in a ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud case involving an individual. In another case, an 82-year-old Pune resident died of a heart attack days after he and his wife went through the ordeal of a “digital arrest”, in which they lost Rs 1.2 crore to cyber fraudsters. Every day, we read about such recurring cases of people falling prey to digital fraudsters, with unease and shock.
As per the recent government data, presented before the Parliament, only in 2024, Indians have lost a staggering Rs 22,845 crore to cyber criminals, involving over 36 lakh financial fraud incidents. This marks a sharp 206 per cent surge from Rs 7465 crore reported in 2023. What is more agonising is that the massive surge in cybercrimes is taking place despite government initiatives, regulatory advisories, newspaper reports, and other awareness campaigns.
Unexamined Digital Life
The reasons behind the surge and pattern may be many. Yet, one underlying, and disturbing, factor is the symptom of our ‘unexamined’ digital life, which the scamsters are taking advantage of to the hilt. And, the symptom is prevalent among all groups, irrespective of age, gender, qualification, or social status.
In the digital world, an “unexamined life” would mean a lack of awareness, reflection, and alertness, which can make us vulnerable to sophisticated online scams. This uncritical engagement with technology and online transactions allows fraudsters to weaponise human emotions like fear, greed, and trust, and our poor habits like impatience, negligence, and complacency.
Questions We Don’t Ask
Absence of our unexamined conduct is reflected in many of our actions. For instance, when scammers create a sense of urgency and panic, often impersonating trusted authorities like police or regulating officials, we don’t ask questions, nor about the need for rush, nor authenticity of these scammers. Phishing emails and fake websites are another unexamined reality. By not scrutinising the small details, be it a misspelt domain name or an unusual email address, we risk giving away our sensitive personal and financial information. Further, neither scammers promising impossibly high and quick returns are put to scrutiny, nor are unsolicited requests of the fraudsters questioned.
These are some apparent missteps we often commit when navigating the digital world. Yet, there are inner maladies in our behaviour and mindset that need reality checks and correction. These concern our development on self-awareness, self-education and self-discipline.
Inner Maladies
Self-awareness: We often fall prey to fraud, as we are not aware of what our real nature is. If, for instance, we know that we are impatient and compulsive by nature, we would consciously take a pause when someone creates a sense of false urgency. If we know that we easily become fearful of those in positions of power, we will cross-check the identity of the callers before succumbing to their fake threats. If we know that our greed for money is our weakness, we will resist temptation before buying false claims of unrealistic financial gains. The point is, self-control can only be exercised when we are self-aware.
Self-education: Fraudsters are continuously developing new tactics and methods, such as phishing schemes, online shopping scams, and identity theft. Digital literacy is imperative at a time when our sensitive information is stored online. This impacts our privacy and security. As the recent findings show how generative AI has made fraud faster, cheaper and more credible, we need to remain updated also about the new fraud vectors like deepfakes and AI-driven scams. In the scenario, staying informed about the latest scam techniques and patterns, through newspapers and other mediums, should be regarded as a risk-management process. Proactiveness and humility to learn are key here.
Self-discipline: At a time when we face a relentless barrage of scam attempts daily via text, emails and social media, it is critical to cultivate healthy habits like spending less time on screens or reels, and more on reading, exercising temperance, and engaging in mindfulness-enhancing activities. In a world of noise of hurry, it’s important to pause, breathe, collect ourselves, and then proceed with moderation, intentionally, reasonably, without being consumed or carried away. Cybercriminals often exploit our vulnerabilities rooted in impulsivity, cognitive biases like instant gratification, and negligence. By cultivating self-discipline, we can strengthen our “firewall” and make cybersecurity an automatic part of our daily routines.
Balance & Temperance Key
While teaching the need to live a life where all things are parsed for their meaning, the great philosopher Socrates had said, “An unexamined life is not worth living”. He argued that a life without self-reflection and critical inquiry lacks value and purpose. Seen in the light of the modern menace of digital fraud, this serves as a powerful metaphor.
Clearly, by overcoming the inner maladies and armed with critical awareness, temperance, and a spirit of inquiry, we can very well build our immunity against fraudsters, operating online or otherwise.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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