A collated number can provide a broader perspective on individual misery. So, when a report citing government data stated that citizens have lost about Rs 11,333 crore to cyber fraud in the first nine months of 2024, it likely reminded lakhs of Indians of their own misfortunes. Stock trading and investment scams, along with ‘digital arrest’ frauds, accounted for a large portion of the complaints. On Wednesday, the home ministry stated that, by November 15, central agencies had blocked more than 6.69 lakh phone numbers and 1,32,000 devices on police requests linked to such complaints.
Many of these attempts originated from ‘fraud farms’ in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The UN estimated in August 2023 that at least 120,000 people were held in degrading conditions at such camps in Myanmar, with another 100,000 in Cambodia. A BBC investigation in Myanmar earlier this year revealed that workers were stripped, subjected to electric shocks, and served drinking water mixed with ash as punishment for missing targets.
The government is aware of the alarming situation. The PM recently cautioned citizens to stay alert against ‘digital arrest’ scams. The foreign ministry has been working with ASEAN governments to repatriate more Indians locked into cyber slavery. You cannot visit the website of the Indian embassy in Vientiane without being warned about fraudulent offers advertising ‘digital sales and marketing’ and ‘customer service’ jobs. The home ministry’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre is striving to stay ahead of this fast-evolving fraud landscape.
There are two tragedies involved: the amounts stolen and the Indians trafficked to commit such crimes abroad. While the gullibility of underinformed citizens drives the former, the desperation of job seekers lures them into the latter trap. To fight the first menace, awareness campaigns need to be charged with a missionary zeal; schools and colleges must have mandatory instruction on cyber safety. We can check for suspicious actors through phones, emails, and even social media handles on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. Banks need sharper protocols to return recovered amounts more quickly. To counter the second menace, our officials must weed out fraudulent job agents at home and assign a nodal agency to work more closely with counterparts abroad. The fight is against nothing less than one of the biggest dangers facing Indians today.