After the boom in digital India and UPI payments, online scams have emerged as a major problem. Scammers have emerged in this digital era, determined to cheat innocent people with various tricks. The cyber police and RBI have been warning the general public through numerous ads to stay alert when conducting online transactions. So far, these warnings have had limited success. The Indian government has agreed that scamming/fraud has become one of the biggest problems in recent years.

This has become a common scenario in daily life. Some unknown person will call you and present a fake scenario, demanding the OTP, card details, and bank details. Sometimes an unidentified link will appear on your phone or in your email. If you engage with these calls or click on unknown links, you risk losing money from your account. In severe cases, scammers may drain your entire account.

There are increasing numbers of digital arrests. Scammers impersonate police officers, delivery personnel, or judges, claiming that a delivery item contains drugs and that you are under digital arrest. Then they threaten the gullible person with further legal consequences and demand a large sum of money. These scams target people across all backgrounds and education levels. Senior citizens and retired persons are easy prey for these scammers. News reports have documented widespread fraud targeting senior citizens in recent years.

Online scams have surged globally. In 2024, online payment fraud losses were estimated at $ 44 billion. India reported around 22 lakh cyber incidents by 2024. The government of India has admitted that cyber fraud is a major crime. Many people have lost substantial sums to these scammers, with minimal recovery.

How do these scammers select their targets?

• Senior citizens/ retired citizens
• Housewives
• Gullible people who pick up the call and talk with them from start to finish
• Any influential, rich elderly people

How to get rid of these scammers?

• Don’t pick up calls from unknown numbers.
• Don’t give bank/any financial details to any unknown person.
• Don’t believe any type of story.
• Don’t click on unknown links.
• Don’t open phishing emails.
• Don’t panic at the demands of an unknown caller.
• Report any incident to the Police and the Cyber Police.
• Report any fraudulent transactions to the bank and RBI immediately.
• Educate near and dear ones about cyber fraud and digital arrest.

Education and public awareness can prevent many forms of cyber fraud. Scammers cannot succeed if you respond with action, knowledge, and awareness.