How To Pin Down A Scam

They pose as cops. They ask for OTPs. They lure you with bonuses. They're so smooth. Here's a cheat sheet to suss out a scam caller before it's too late

- Christalle Fernandes

On Instagram, scammers are working harder than content creators. Head to any post that was uploaded in the last few minutes - there are six comments already. One is a billionaire looking to give away money. Two are "so horny right now", they're commenting on Gaza updates. As for the rest, their small business just made Rs 1 crore last month and they're going to show you how.

There's a simple reason comments like these persist. Enough suckers fall for these claims. "With AI and deepfakes, we can no longer trust the evidence of our senses," says Vivek Ramachandran, CEO-founder of cybersecurity platform SquareX. It's still possible to suss out a scamster online, some signs are as old as time.

The hurried hustle.