NEW DELHI: “Cybercrime has no geographical boundaries, it thrives on online anonymity where a scammer can claim to be operating locally from Patparganj while actually being based abroad,” said special commissioner of police Devesh Chandra Srivastava during his address at the TOI Townhall on ‘Don’t Get Scammed’.This striking reality served as a wake-up call as the officer highlighted how fraudsters exploit the lack of physical borders to target victims. He emphasised that modern criminals relied on a victim’s inability to see who was truly on the other side of the screen, making personal awareness the most critical tool for digital safety.The special CP’s address at the event, organised by TOI, mentioned three key points to keep in mind: greed, fear and caution. Srivastava pointed out a startling paradox in the world ofcyber fraud: even highly educated people, including tech-savvy IIT gradu-ates and MBAs, frequently fell victim to scams run by barely educated criminals, all in a bid to earn easy money. This happens because scammers do not target a person’s technical degrees, but rather their psychological triggers. This trend, he said, has everything to do with “social engineering”.Whether it is through the lure of unrealistic 200% profits on online groups or “catfishing” seen in romance and matrimonial scams, the goal is to trigger an impulsive reaction. He cited examples where scammers use fake photos to pose as someone from Seelampur while actually operating from cyber hubs like Jamtara or Mewat.In casinos, a player is triggered by a promise of winning the first few short games and gaining instant gratification, he said.Similarly, “in investment scams, first few instalments and returns have been enough to manipulate victims into giving larger sums later”, he pointed out. “Cybercriminals have mastered the art of preying on vulnerabilities that they notice in people in the physical world and then apply it in the virtual world.” On the impact of online investment frauds, Srivastava spoke about the former Punjab Police IG who had tried to kill himself after being cheated of Rs 8.1 crore.He also urged people to be alert if an online acquaintance demands money for “medical emergencies” or personal expenses over social media. An urgent need can be addressed via a telephone call or in person, the officer pointed out.There is no such thing as a ‘digital arrest’, it’s entirely fake, Srivastava emphasised. Authorities like CBI, ED and police will issue summons and, if needed, will be physically present to arrest anyone, he added.Scammers use fear to manipulate victims into staying on video calls, claiming they are involved in matters of “national security”. This manipulation is so powerful that victims have been known to shoo away even family members to comply with the scammer’s threats, the officer said. A person may act distant due to the stress of having been “digitally arrested”. People should be vigilant about such shifts in the behaviours of people close to them, he suggested, adding that every call can be disconnected and every mail can be checked later.Stop, think, then act, he reiterated.His advice was simple: if you receive such a call, just disconnect. Srivastava underlined the use of AI by fraudsters who scare people by claiming that they have access to the obscene images of the targets. He also touched upon emerging threats such as deepfakes and the circulation of morphed images for sextortion.The session covered a wide range of common frauds, including OTP scams, fake water or electricity bill messages, and online gambling.Srivastava also warned against work-from-home and review-based scams, besides lottery and screen-sharing app frauds. “One must also know that you can never receive money by simply scanning a QR code. It can lead to a data breach.” The officer spoke of the lottery fraud rampant in 2001 and known as ‘Nigerian lottery’ or ‘419 scams’ involving fake emails promising large winnings and earnings in millions. It seems to be making a comeback recently in modified ways.Highlighting the progress of operations CyHawk 1 and 2 launched by police commissioner Satish Golchha, Srivastava said they had successfully targeted various criminal networks and focused on dismantling mule accounts and fake social media profiles.Explaining the concept of “golden hour” — the hour just after the money has been deducted — the special CP said that if an alarm was raised during this period, it would be easier to freeze the money in the account itself before it reached the fraudsters. Police are pursuing MoUs with foreign agencies to ensure offenders are brought back to face justice, he added. The townhall concluded with a clear message — criminals still rely largely on exploiting human emotions and that makes awareness the strongest defence.
