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Verified By BOOM | 122

Verified By BOOM | 122

Digital Arrest: Scammers Who Hack Minds, Not Computers

November 01, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Browser View | November 02, 2024 | Subscribe

Hello,

Imagine being trapped in a virtual interrogation room for an entire day, with someone posing as the police, threatening you with arrest—except it’s all a lie. That’s exactly what happened to a Noida resident, who lost Rs 11 lakhs to scammers using a sinister tactic called "digital arrest". Read on!

As online scams continue to rise and with not enough awareness about how to stay safe from them, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Download from trusted sources: Only use official app stores and verify the developer’s credentials.
Be cautious with permissions: Avoid apps that unnecessarily request access to contacts or media.
Factory reset if compromised: A reset may help remove malware, though advanced threats can persist.
Use mobile security tools: Tools like Trend Micro or Bitdefender can offer protection.
Be wary of companies who ask for money: Companies never ask for money from job applicants.
Consultants never directly communicate: Employment websites like Naukri.com do have genuine consultants who help in communicating with companies who are their clients.
Always scan documents before downloading: In case one gets attachments along with fishy emails, it is always better to scan them before downloading.

Subscribe to Decode with Adrija, a fortnightly newsletter for the weird, wonderful, and worrying corners of the Internet. From misinformation and scams to AI's impact, expect insights, stories, and discoveries from the digital world!

Digital Arrest: India’s New Con Artists Don't Hack Computers—They Hack Minds

🔖 The ‘digital arrest’ scam has reached such proportions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed it in his Mann Ki Baat radio address, urging citizens to "Stop, think, and act."

Exhibit A: Over a Skype call, the fraudsters told a woman living in Noida, Uttar Pradesh that her Aadhaar number was linked to a money-laundering case and pressured her to empty her savings and take out a loan. Paralysed by fear, she complied, only to realise later that she had fallen victim to a meticulously crafted con.

Playing on your mind: The scammers' weapons aren't guns or handcuffs, but rather an intricate understanding of human psychology that allows them to hold their victims' minds hostage. Their tactics have become so effective that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre reports losses exceeding Rs 120 crore in just the first quarter of this year.

Expert says: "It begins with a simple call," explained cyber psychologist Nirali Bhatia. "Someone claiming to be law enforcement tells you your identity is linked to a parcel containing drugs or fake passports. From that moment, panic sets in, and rational thinking begins to slip away,” Bhatia told Decode’s Hera Rizwan, explaining the scam’s modus operandi.

How A Facebook Group Became An Underground Library For Indian Students

🔖 The world of academic publishing has long been a battleground. Scholars have criticised the system as broken, and many now see themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods, fighting to free their own research from expensive paywalls.

Online piracy has been a major thorn in the side of the publishing industry. In the United States alone, publishers lose about $300 million yearly to e-book piracy.
But this anti-piracy argument only works if authors are actually making money from their work, which often isn't true in academic publishing.
In 2013, Aaron Swartz faced serious criminal charges for downloading thousands of academic papers from JSTOR, a subscription-based academic database to possibly distribute them freely with the public. Tragically, the pressure of the legal battle led to his suicide.
While legal battles continue, researchers are finding creative solutions to share knowledge. One promising approach is the development of international library networks.
Ultimately, it's the once unknown and now hugely popular Facebook group alongwith similar but much smaller groups on Telegram that have become a repository of knowledge and material for Indian researchers. Read Rush Mukherjee’s story.

JioHotstar Saga: A Tale Of Two Child Philanthropists And One Developer's Dream

🔖 The JioHotstar.com Puzzle: Dubai Siblings, Indian Developer, and a Legal Storm

A Delhi-based app developer registered the JioHotstar.com domain in hopes of selling it to Reliance Industries for over Rs 1 crore.
The domain was sold to two young siblings from Dubai, 13-year-old Jainam Jain and 10-year-old Jivika Jain.
Legal experts told Hera Rizwan that the situation could be seen as a potential case of cybersquatting, as the domain was registered without legitimate rights.

🚫 Fake News You Almost Fell For

🔍 Did Defence Minister Rajnath Singh voice support for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, saying that he would ensure that no one could touch the latter? Find out in 🔗 Anmol Alphonso’s ↗️ fact-check.

🔍 A viral social media claim stated that BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have launched a new shared currency to compete with the US dollar. 🔗 Nidhi Jacob ↗️ debunked the claim.

🔍 A video claiming to show former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray admitting to eat beef and brazening it out, at a public rally, went viral. But, is this true? Read 🔗 Anmol Alphonso’s ↗️ fact-check.

🅱️ Recommends

📖 This week's recommendation is: Differences in misinformation sharing can lead to politically asymmetric sanctions

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Verified By Boom is written by Divya Chandra, edited by Adrija Bose

and designed by H Shiva Roy Chowdhury.

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