LOW PRECAUTIONS AMONGST INTERNET USERS AMIDST SURGE IN ONLINE FRAUDS

The initiatives of the Government is only a half-job done, it has to be supplemented by the efforts of the general citizens.

- PALASH BARUAH & D.L. WANKHAR

With the rapid rise in internet use in India, the incidents of online frauds/scams/cheating has also seen a spurt. Identity theft, social engineering, phishing, skimming, QR code fraud, OTP fraud, frauds using NFC technology, fake cashback links, UPI fraud, etc have now become the buzz words. Fraudsters and scammers are now using advanced and unique techniques to scam and commit fraud, thereby hurting people financially and eroding trust. Fraudsters' agility makes it challenging for authorities to keep up, with even the Prime Minister warning against scams like "digital arrest" fraud. Media reports suggest that online fraud is now a significant concern, leaving people vulnerable to scams at any time.

The Government has taken several steps to generate awareness/alerts/advisories through print, audio and visual medium and put in place various mechanisms to deal with cyber crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. It culminated with the setting up of the 'Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre' (I4C).

The initiatives of the Government is only a half-job done; it has to be supplemented by the efforts of the general citizens. Sifting through the Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey (CAMS) from the NSS 79th round (2022-23) reveals intriguing results.