Caution against Deception

“We are all now connected by the internet, like neurons in a giant brain”

Stephen Hawkins

One of the best gifts of the 21st century is the internet. Once a luxury, the internet, which was available only at particular places like cyber cafes where a person would have to use it after waiting in long queues, is now a common thing, available at very affordable prices. The young generation is more keen to use internet or, as it is said, is more “pro” in using internet and devices connected to it. In the COVID and post-COVID era, the world has experienced a significant shift from in-person work to remote work. For instance, the classrooms, the IT sector and so on have started working online in a remote manner. The internet of things has made our lives very easy. With one Wi-Fi connection at home, we can manage all the devices that are directly connected to our lives. For instance, the mobile phones, tablets, television, air conditioners and security cameras; this list is endless. These internet-connected devices are now available to users at a very reasonable price. Hence, it is true and right to say, the internet and connected devices are the best gifts for mankind in this century.

But, as a coin has two faces, so has this gift of 21st century. With the rise in internet user base, there is a significant rise in the number of cybercrime incidents. Though cybercrime is not a new concept, and the world has been talking about it for decades, there has been a spike in the number of incidents only in the last decade. This rise in cyber incidents may be due to the rise in the number of internet users which is continuously growing on a daily basis. More the number of users, more are the vulnerable targets for the cyber offenders. But if we try to understand this in a better way, it is the lack of digital awareness, or a rush to gain something, or a fear of anything, which is the actual reason for the rise in the number of cybercrime cases.

Growing Threat of Cybercrimes

A) Digital arrests: There has been a rise in the number of cybercrime cases, wherein a person is digitally arrested for some offence. If the victim is not aware of the basic understanding of criminal procedure in the country, that there is no provision for digital arrest, he may fall prey to the trap and end up paying an amount for his release, while the actual fact being he was never confined. In such cases, the cyber offenders take benefit of the fear of the victim.

B) Easy money option: Another form of cybercrime which is gaining momentum is the crime related to share-markets or easy money earning techniques like giving feedbacks or reviews. Here, a website or an application is made, which resembles the actual application for stock market investing. The users get attracted by high return offers—eventually ending up in heavy losses of their hard-earned money. Such scams rely on the greed of the victim to earn more money.

C) Sextortion: In this form of cybercrime, the victim falls prey as he attends a videocall with the offender in an objectionable or obscene manner, where the offender captures the screen and asks money for not circulating the video online.

D) Courier scam: Another scam, which needs to be mentioned here, is the scam relating to courier companies, wherein the cybercriminal would contact the victim on the pretext that either the parcel has been struck at custom and he needs to pay the amount to get it released or that some prohibited items have been found in the parcel and the victim needs to pay some amount to ensure that no proceedings are initiated against him. In either case, if the victim reacts and pays the amount, the job of the cybercriminal is completed.

It is true that as awareness for one form of cybercrime picks up, the pace of another form of cybercrime is ready to take its place. Cyber awareness is not an individual effort, nor is it solely the responsibility of the Government or Police. It requires a collective effort from all stakeholders to ensure maximum outreach in this domain. Though it is a hard reality, safeguarding ourselves from the growing menace of cybercrime is very difficult. However, certain measures can be taken to prevent cybercrime, including:

A) Use only authorised applications and websites for financial transactions or any platform where confidential information needs to be shared.

B) Provide personal information only to authorised personnel and trusted contacts. However, the definition of "authorised personnel" and "trusted contacts" is subjective. A trusted contact for one individual may not be the same for another. The best approach is to never share personal information or OTPs with anyone. Enter them yourself whenever possible, and in unavoidable cases, share them with due caution. Also, before sharing an OTP, carefully read and verify its source and purpose.

C) Always update mobile applications from the official app store and never use any link, even from a known contact, to update any application.

D) If you are added to any group without your permission, immediately exit and report it if it seems suspicious.

E) Never succumb to fear or greed, especially when dealing with anything on the internet. If you have not committed a crime, do not fear. Likewise, there are no shortcuts to making money—avoid greed.

F) Never click on any file with an unfamiliar extension or an APK file. Regularly check your device to ensure that no such file has been stored, even by mistake.

G) Despite all safeguards, if you still become a victim of cybercrime, report the case immediately to the nearest cybercrime police station. Additionally, a complaint can be filed by calling 1930, the National Cybercrime Reporting Helpline, or by logging in to cybercrime.gov.in. The police are there to help; we should not hesitate to report offenses. Your report may assist the police in identifying a suspect involved in other crimes and help prevent cybercrime for others as well.

In continuation of the above safeguards, it is also necessary that we follow the principle of #thinkandclick. For any link or for any incident, if we take a break for a minute and think if this is required, we may end up saving our money and prevent ourselves from cybercrime. We should not solely put the blame on the administration. Rather, we should become their eyes and ears by reporting cyber incidents and also help others report any case which they have been victim of. Cyber volunteers should come forward and help in creating awareness in society. Internet and technology are truly among the best gifts to mankind, but they should be clean and used without any fear of traps.

The writer has completed his LLM from NLSIU, Bangalore and is pursuing PhD in cyber laws from RGNUL, Patiala. Views expressed are personal