The case of an elderly woman businessman in Delhi being defrauded of Rs 7 crore by threatening her with digital arrest demonstrates that cyber fraudsters remain rampant. Prior to the Rs 7 crore fraud, an NRI couple in Delhi was defrauded of Rs 15 crore. In fact, hardly a day goes by without a case of cyber fraud being reported from some part of the country.

Although cyber criminals repeatedly use the same methods they’ve used to defraud countless others, they still fall for their traps. Many of these individuals are well-educated. Their deception demonstrates that the average person is generally unaware of the tactics of cybercriminals.

The ease with which cyber fraudsters posing as police, CBI, Customs, ED, Income Tax officers, or lawyers and judges, defraud people of lakhs and crores of rupees is astonishing. Why don’t people understand that there’s no such thing as digital arrest? Undoubtedly, people need to be aware of cyber fraud, but a greater need is to tighten the noose around cyber fraudsters. It’s disappointing that the police and other agencies are unable to do so.

It cannot be satisfied that after the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the increasing cases of cyber fraud by threatening digital arrest, the Central Government constituted a committee which includes members of NIA, CBI, Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Centre, besides officers from many ministries and also the Joint Secretary of the Reserve Bank, because this work should have been done long ago.

It is hoped that the Supreme Court will take cognizance of this committee’s report and issue effective orders and directives that will curb cyber fraud. This is essential, as the amount of money being siphoned off through cyber fraud is increasing. Cyber ​​criminals aren’t just defrauding people by intimidating them. They are also stealing people’s hard-earned money by offering attractive investment promises.

This shows that they are unbridled and fearless. In most cases, they go undetected, and even if they are, the stolen money is never recovered because it has been sent abroad. To curb cyber fraud, not only will the police and other agencies need to become technically competent, but mobile companies and banks will also need to streamline their operations. The government must understand that if cyber fraudsters remain unchecked, people will be forced to avoid digital transactions.