Combating Cyber Fraud

August 28, 2026

As times change and online payments proliferate in the cyber and digital age, incidents of fraud have seen an extraordinary rise. People’s accounts are hacked and drained. Moreover, fraudsters have adopted new and inventive methods of deception. They are casting their nets using tactics such as “digital arrest,” fake challans, fraudulent trading schemes, and “work-from-home” scams. Despite repeated warnings via social media and other channels that law enforcement agencies do not arrest individuals via video calls, even educated professionals holding high-ranking positions fall victim to these scams and lose lakhs of rupees. It is often said that if a fraud is reported within two hours, the recipient’s account can be frozen, creating a possibility of recovering the funds; however, the bitter experience of victims is that the official machinery moves so sluggishly that very little action is taken within that two-hour window. Once the money is gone, it is often lost for good. However, a new wave of awareness is emerging: people around a potential victim should not remain indifferent—thinking “it’s none of my business”—but should instead immediately alert the individual and help save their money. There have been reports of women—even homemakers— becoming vigilant about cyber fraud. One such instance occurred in Jalandhar, Punjab, where a woman snatched the phone from her husband—a retired education officer—who was panicking after being subjected to a “digital arrest” scam. In another instance, a woman removed her husband from a fake trading group on Telegram. Fraudulent schemes involving malicious links have been surfacing frequently; clicking on such a link can lead to one’s account being drained. Typically, in digital fraud cases, the fear induced by the “digital arrest” tactic causes victims to part with lakhs of rupees. Furthermore, there has been a surge in scams—such as fake RTO traffic fine links, promises of doubling investments overnight in the stock market, and “work-from-home” schemes— that are so convincing even educated individuals easily fall prey to them. The solution is to stay updated on news regarding cybercrime so you remain aware of the latest fraudulent tactics. If you do find yourself in such a situation, remain composed while interacting with the cybercriminals; instead of letting yourself be swindled, try to outsmart them. Combating cyber fraud requires a collective effort.