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India has gained notoriety for online scams, as fingers are being pointed at numerous fake call centres reportedly operating in various parts of the country, duping thousands of people, especially vulnerable elderly people from across the world. According to the 2023 Elder Fraud Report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US citizens lost $12.5 billion to cybercrime in 2023, with the money lost by people older than 60 accounting for more than $3.4 billion. It said that some of the scams originate from call centres in India, Western Africa, Laos and Cambodia, adding that it is not only spreading awareness among the people but also working to track down the scammers and hold them accountable. Videos of scambaiters exposing the fraudulent activities of scam call centres are flooding the internet. These scammers usually pose as employees of legitimate companies or government agencies to dupe unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money. Other common frauds include investment, romance and cryptocurrency. It’s not that the Indian law enforcement agencies are turning a blind eye to such illegal activities operating on its soil; fraudulent firms are being raided and scammers arrested but it may take time to crack down on a scam of this magnitude.
Sadly, it is not uncommon to find youths from Northeast India on the list of arrested people whenever police raid fake call centres. One such instance was the raiding of two fraudulent call centres run by the Cyber Crime Division of Punjab Police in May, which led to the arrest of at least 155 workers, including 45 from Nagaland, for allegedly scamming people in the US. Slapped with non-bailable cyber fraud charges, they are still languishing in Punjab jail. There has been pressure on the state government to reach out to the youth, but the law will take its own course. It is necessary on our part to reflect, introspect and ask if the youths were ignorant of the fraudulent activities of their employers. If they were knowingly taking up the job and scamming vulnerable victims, they should be held accountable. In the meantime, one of the biggest reasons for this trend could be the growing unemployment problem in the north-eastern states. With negligible private enterprises on the one hand and dwindling employment opportunities in the public sector on the other, many educated youths are being forced to look for better opportunities in metro cities. Some find the right jobs, while others end up in fraudulent firms, and some even fall victim to human traffickers. We can’t overlook the economic and social aspects of the region while addressing the issue. Besides carrying out intensive awareness campaigns, especially in remote areas, the central and state governments should seriously work towards creating avenues for jobs, including self-employment and start-ups. Such measures will help solve many issues, not just fraudulent activities.