A bizarre mix of gullibility and fear makes many people vulnerable to the particularly perilous cybercrime of “digital arrest” and virtual trial in which criminals impersonate law enforcement officers, in particular the much-feared CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Narcotics Control Bureau.
Despite being widely reported in the media and government efforts to create awareness, it is a matter of grave concern that the cases have been on the rise. Besides duping vulnerable people and often wiping off their hard-earned lifetime savings, these criminals seem to demonstrate how the long arm of the law cannot reach them and thus erode their power and authority. The irony is that innocent citizens are scared of authorities while criminals thumb their noses at the powerful state apparatus.
Another set of cybercrimes exploits the desperation among people seeking employment. Fraudsters use unsolicited emails, WhatsApp and SMS messages and fake websites to lure people into paying them huge sums of money. The third category of crimes taps into the greed for quick money, in which scammers claiming to be financial experts offer unrealistically high returns. Lastly, cyber criminals deploy malicious malware that even technically aware citizens are unable to shield themselves from harm. Some of these malware may not even require any action by the user. These are often used in banking and financial fraud.
The Tamil Nadu government has been quite proactive in aggressively pursuing cyber criminals. In the last six months, it launched two phases of Operation Thiraineeku (unmasking) to curb cybercrimes.
Over 200 suspects were arrested and targeted the mule accounts in banks that are crucial to laundering and siphoning off illicit funds. The second phase of the operation, which was said to be one of the largest of its kind, aimed at striking the cybercrime network, has not deterred the criminals, as was evident in the cases being reported.
The three major challenges governments face in tackling cybercrimes are jurisdictional issues, digital forensics and specialised training of officers. To address these challenges, the Tamil Nadu government has been taking many steps. It has set up over 45 specialised cybercrime cells or stations across the state so that these decentralised units could handle complaints and investigate crimes in their jurisdiction. On the other hand, the state has been an active participant in the inter-state and national coordination efforts. Another initiative was the cyber patrol unit, which monitors online activity to pre-empt criminal activities and nip cybercrime in the bud. In the pipeline is a string of cyber forensic labs equipped with state-of-the-art technology tools that help in the investigation of crimes. Lastly, in collaboration with IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, the state government will be training its officers as “cyber commandos” in hot pursuit of criminals.
The government’s messaging has had limited impact as people are scared of approaching police when they are in danger. Hapless citizens are often caught between the menacing, malicious actors roaming in the lawless cyber wilderness and the fear of corruption and harassment they are likely to encounter if they approach the police. Instead of haranguing the public to be vigilant and reach out to authorities, the government should address the trust issues through innovative confidence-building measures. In the absence of people-centric policing and people-friendly police stations, cybercriminals will continue to thrive by exploiting the people’s perceived fear of their guardians.
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