Avoidable trappings

The internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow

-- Bill Gates

One of the reasons why you can read this article is the access to the internet. The internet which was once a luxury is now available at very affordable rates. From the hands of a few, it has now become the talk of each person. We can easily buy vegetables using online payment methods with the vendors happily accepting the digital payment. The modes of payment like UPI and IMPS have made our lives easy to send and receive money. Smartphones are now available at a comparatively reasonable price and hence are affordable to every section of the society. Another advantage which the internet has given is, it has connected the whole world together, so it is easy for a person sitting in one corner of the world to send messages or even call with just the internet pack he has in his smartphone. It is as simple as a click to send an online document or picture or video or text and so on from one place to another.

But as it is rightly said, technology is your great friend when it is used wisely but your worst enemy when used without appropriate safeguards and caution. The COVID-19 and the post COVID-19 era saw most of the services shifting to online mode. To exercise care and caution during that phase online mode was preferred in various sectors including education, banking, IT services and so on. This move ensured that there is capability to shift services from physical mode to the online mode but, at the same time, it increases the incidents of cybercrime.

Cybercrimes are internet-based crimes where the computer or internet resources are either the mode for commission of offence or are the targets. The last decade has seen a substantial increase in the number of cybercrime cases. Knowingly or unknowingly, we are becoming victims of cybercrime. The cyber offenders are staying a step ahead to ensure that they deceive the victim without the victim being made aware of it at the very first instance. The crimes including online frauds like banking frauds, digital arrest, courier company fraud, identity theft, sextortion are on rise, wherein the targets are usually the old age people, the youngsters and people who are less aware about the crime and the mode in which it is committed.

One of the recent cyber frauds which is costing heavily to the victims is Digital Arrest wherein the accused would call the victim representing himself to be a Police Officer, who will then try to intimidate the victim by explaining that he has committed some offence and to safeguard him from prosecution, he has to pay some amount. The victim believing the story agrees to pay the amount and become prey to the accused. Another offence is of courier company fraud, where the accused impersonates an employee of a courier company, explains to the victim that his parcel has been seized having some illegal items or it has been stuck at customs and asks the victim to pay some amount for the release of his package. Also the cases of sextortion are on rise, which target victims who are generally minors and old age people, who usually don’t report the matter due to the stigma attached to it and fear of reputation in the society. The fraudsters also take advantage of this fear to ensure that the victim pays the amount/money as has been asked for. Artificial intelligence is also increasing the trouble and the incidents of cybercrimes, as with the use of AI, it is easy to make images or videos which are made by one person but it resembles or seems to be made by another person. AI is becoming one of the most dangerous weapons in the hands of cybercriminals.

Measures to avoid cybercrimes

Since the internet has become an integral part of our life, it is not possible to revert to the old times and completely stop the use of the internet, rather, to safeguard ourselves from cybercrimes, it is important to take certain precautionary steps. Some of the measures include:

1) Stop impulsively reacting to any phone call or text message which seems suspicious. One of the measures to save ourselves from being a victim of cyber offence is to wait and think twice before transferring any amount to any bank account or sharing your details to any person which seems suspicious.

2) Never share your OTP with anyone, even trusted individuals. Always complete the banking transactions under your hand.

3) Never click on links offering exciting gifts, money, asking to download or update applications.

4) Always keep updating your mobile applications, especially those dealing with finances, and use only the official Play Store or Appstore to update the applications.

5) Don’t fear reporting cyber offences. If you or any of your known persons becomes a victim of any cybercrime, immediately report the matter to the nearest cyber Police Station and also at 1930 which is the National Helpline for reporting cybercrime, or report the incident at cybercrime.gov.in.

6) Before selling or exchanging any device including phones and laptops, ensure that the previous data has been completely erased. Reset your device at least 3-4 times before selling it.

7) Educate your family members, friends about the growing menace of cybercrime. Monitor the online activity of minors to ensure that they are not falling prey to any illegal activity.

It has of late become a trend to criticize the law enforcement agencies for growing cybercrime incidents, but the actual reality is, people have to themselves, too, become vigilant and understand the complexities involved in investigating the cybercrimes. Rather than blaming, we should become the eyes and ears of the law enforcement agencies to ensure that this crime is prevented. The theory of Think and click is ideal for preventing cybercrime incidents. Once a conscious thought is given, there are high chances that a person can actually safeguard himself from cybercrime. By undertaking certain safety measures, one can safeguard himself and his family members from the growing incidents of cybercrime.

The writer is a Post Graduate in Law (LL.M.) from NLSIU, Bangalore and pursuing Phd in Law from RGNUL, Patiala. Views expressed are personal