It is not uncommon to receive emails and telephone calls claiming that you have won a prize or a parcel from abroad, for which you have to deposit a certain amount of money in individual bank accounts so that customs officials can give clearance and release the gift or reward. There have also been numerous incidents where fraudsters befriend victims on the internet and ask them to deposit money in certain accounts claiming that their expensive gifts have been stopped for customs clearance. Such fraudulent tricks to cheat people of their hard-earned money have been doing the rounds for years now and the customs department too have repeatedly warned the public not to respond to such fake calls or emails but people still fall victim to such scams. The recent case in Noklak where a victim was cheated of more than INR 34 lakh by fraudsters posing as Manager of State Bank of India tells that such scams are still occurring. In this case, the police said it had unearthed a huge criminal nexus wherein unsuspecting victims were tricked to download software applications before taking control of their phones and withdrawing money via payment apps. It’s a matter of concern as almost everyone owns a smartphone today, which means scammers can now target innocent people, especially those from villages. Spam messages being rampantly forwarded in various social media groups tell that many still click suspicious links that could potentially contain malwares that can hack mobile phones or extract sensitive information. And there are possibilities of fraudsters targeting rural areas and less developed regions like the Northeast as people in cities are relatively more aware of scams. This calls for the need to create awareness amongst the people, especially in rural areas and those vulnerable to scams.
One simple measure that anyone can take to avoid falling into the trap of fraudsters is by not responding to strangers or emails from unknown persons and not clicking suspicious links. People should also thoroughly verify schools and businesses before venturing out for greener pastures. Too many students, especially from the Northeast have spoiled their future after being lured to study in unrecognised educational institutions and too many have fallen into the hands of human traffickers who dupe innocent people on the pretext of offering lucrative jobs in metropolitan cities and even abroad. The fact is that no company worth its salt will offer jobs on a platter. Unlike a few decades ago, this generation is privileged to have relatives, intellectuals and student unions scattered across the country, who are ready to help. The beauty of smaller communities like Nagas staying outside the state is ‘everyone is ready to help anyone, anytime’. Seek advice from them and take their help besides personal verification. Above all, people from the Northeast should shed their gullible nature; if not, fraudsters will strike with more deceptive tricks and dupes.