New Delhi. How does all your information reach the scammers who cheat people in different ways through online scamming? From your bank details to online shopping, scammers come to know everything and on the basis of that they lay a trap in which you are sure to get trapped. These days ‘Digital Arrest’ scam is going on in India and a large number of people are becoming its victims. People are losing lakhs of rupees considering it to be a legal process. The US Office on Drugs and Crime (South East Asia and Pacific) recently conducted an analysis in this regard, which revealed that such cyber criminals are now working like a professional industry.
Most of these are from South East Asia. According to a TOI report, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) regional analyst John Wojcik said that a new model of ‘crime as a service’ has emerged. The use of AI and crypto in this and the underground online market is helping in increasing it.
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How does your information reach scammers?
Before Covid they usually just dialed randomly. In some cases they used stolen databases. Today they can get name phone numbers more cheaply than ever before. Scammers pay a small fee every month for membership to a list of names or numbers, which is updated every few months.
People need to know that their information is freely available on the internet and is being used on an industrial level and is accessible to everyone. We are moving into a post-privacy era where information that was once sensitive may no longer be so sensitive.
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Anyway, the lists with names, addresses etc. come from Facebook, Instagram etc. Apps have access to most things on your phone, like numbers, names, emails, locations, things in your calendar, your contacts list, what apps are installed, and so on. The data gets uploaded. The social media service provider packages the data and sells it to other parties, who sort the data, re-package and sell it.
This is why in recent years, people who use social networking have received texts, calls and spam from scammers. When you tap “I Agree,” you agree to this. You volunteered to give your phone number and docs it on the internet.
How to stop it?
Stay away from social media. Change your phone number. It would be better if the new number you get has not been given to any social media user before. I am sure you will not believe what I say. Find out yourself. The proof of this is on the internet. Start by Googling your name or phone number. Do the same with the name or number of someone you know who is not on social media.
Tag: business news, online fraud
first published : 6 January 2025, 6:39 PM IST
