Be alert about cyber fraud

The world of the net was vitiated by unscrupulous and dishonest elements long time ago and as the law clamps down on cyber-crime all over the world, perpetrators are changing their tactics to hoodwink innocent people. In the evolution of cyber-crime, the latest trend is to lure victims with promises of astronomical amount of money and then extract a fee from them, ostensibly to clear the large amount promised earlier.

In a recent swindle, a person was told by a recently made friend in social media that he would be sent $ 1.5 billion to help the disadvantaged. Soon, a call came from a lady claiming to work with the customs department who asked the person in question to send Tk. 85000 to an account first to release a large parcel waiting at the airport.

The man is question was suspicious and had a journalist call the woman, who switched off the phone once hearing that the media was on her trail. This is just one example of the elaborate cyber-crimes being committed and the variety of tactics employed by criminals to entrap people. In the past, there have been instances when people fell victim to such hoaxes and ended up paying money to anonymous swindlers.

There have also been incidences where young women looking for friendship in the Net were lured into romantic relationships and then cajoled into paying money to so-called cyber lovers, who created a situation of financial emergency.

There is no limit as to how a crime can be laid out with some of the approaches appearing to be totally credible and reliable. However, most cyber-crimes thrive and proliferate due to one thing only: greed for easy cash.  While some offer romance and true love as bait.

The government can issue alerts but the individual needs to be on guard. Any offer of quick money should be questioned and not taken as manna from heaven. Similarly, people, especially women who are introverted or have undergone some real life trauma, and are looking for cyber relations to ward off boredom and depression, should be extra cautious.

Cyber criminals target people either with the pulling power of quick profit or through psychological domination. The latter of course is a long term process but the impact is 10 times more deadly as the victim may end up paying money and, after realizing the deception, lose sanity. These victims need long term counseling and may never be able to trust another human being. Any offer on social media or any other platform should be taken with a pinch of salt.    

 

 

Be alert about cyber fraud

The world of the net was vitiated by unscrupulous and dishonest elements long time ago and as the law clamps down on cyber-crime all over the world, perpetrators are changing their tactics to hoodwink innocent people. In the evolution of cyber-crime, the latest trend is to lure victims with promises of astronomical amount of money and then extract a fee from them, ostensibly to clear the large amount promised earlier. In a recent swindle, a person was told by a recently made friend in social media that he would be sent $ 1.5 billion to help the disadvantaged. Soon, a call came from a lady claiming to work with the customs department who asked the person in question to send Tk. 85000 to an account first to release a large parcel waiting at the airport. The man is question was suspicious and had a journalist call the woman, who switched off the phone once hearing that the media was on her trail. This is just one example of the elaborate cyber-crimes being committed and the variety of tactics employed by criminals to entrap people. In the past, there have been instances when people fell victim to such hoaxes and ended up paying money to anonymous swindlers. There have also been incidences where young women looking for friendship in the Net were lured into romantic relationships and then cajoled into paying money to so-called cyber lovers, who created a situation of financial emergency. There is no limit as to how a crime can be laid out with some of the approaches appearing to be totally credible and reliable. However, most cyber-crimes thrive and proliferate due to one thing only: greed for easy cash. While some offer romance and true love as bait. The government can issue alerts but the individual needs to be on guard. Any offer of quick money should be questioned and not taken as manna from heaven. Similarly, people, especially women who are introverted or have undergone some real life trauma, and are looking for cyber relations to ward off boredom and depression, should be extra cautious. Cyber criminals target people either with the pulling power of quick profit or through psychological domination. The latter of course is a long term process but the impact is 10 times more deadly as the victim may end up paying money and, after realizing the deception, lose sanity. These victims need long term counseling and may never be able to trust another human being. Any offer on social media or any other platform should be taken with a pinch of salt.