Online Scams: Online Frauds Might Become Global Pandemic in 2023
Worldwide, online scams cost victims USD 55.3 billion in the last two years, according to an estimated 293 million scam reports that were filed.
Jorij Abraham, General Manager at ScamAdviser.com and The Global Anti-Scam Alliance, discusses the most prevalent scams and how they are becoming an epidemic on a global scale.
In 2022, scammers have been more successful than ever. From 266 reports in 2020 to 293 million reports in 2022, the number of scams reported increased by 10.2%. Online Frauds Might Become a Global Pandemic in 2023
Online Scammers prey on people during any crisis. Starting with cheap airline tickets for Hajj pilgrims at the beginning of 2023.
Online scams later moved on to ‘supporting’ Australian bushfire victims, ‘helping’ Ukrainian refugees, and, more recently, ‘buying’ tickets to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral memorial and government energy grants.
Online Scams: Facts
With 4.72 billion users worldwide, 60.1% of the world’s population now spends nearly seven hours per day online, driving the economy ever more rapidly towards digitalization.
Crime is quickly emerging in this environment, with the majority of Western nations reporting that online scams are currently the most widely reported category of crime.
96% of Australians, half of whom received weekly or daily contact from con artists, have been exposed to a scam in the last five years, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Authority (ACCC).
50% of TCSEW respondents in the UK said they had received an email, text message, or social media message that might have been a phishing scam.
Online Scams are Widespread
In the past three months, 53% of Filipinos claimed they had been targeted by fraudsters, with 11% of them becoming victims.
Similar reports of an increase in online scams, particularly those involving mobile phones, came from other developing nations like India, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Mobile scams grew in popularity as a result of the 164% increase in mobile transactions in Nigeria in 2021.
14% of Saudi Arabian consumers admitted to falling for the scam and losing money, and 62% of consumers said they received spam and scam messages, mostly on their mobile devices.
2 major data breaches in South Africa resulted in a wave of phishing attacks using extremely sensitive data. Online fraud is the second most commonly reported form of crime in Indonesia, where 25% of the population reports having been a victim.
Online scams are the second most commonly reported form of crime in Indonesia, where 25% of the population reports having been a victim.
Social media platforms are popular with scammers looking to seduce victims in almost every nation. For example, 23% of the online crime complaints that Pakistani authorities receive begin on Facebook.
In contrast to the US, where more than one in four people who reported losing money to fraud in 2022 claimed it started on social media with an ad, a post, or a message, Indonesia reports that 51% of scams start on social media.
Online Scams Might Become Global Pandemic in 2023
Scams have been going industrial for a while. In a recent development, human traffickers have started using social media to primarily target young Asian people, tricking Chinese and Taiwanese citizens.
By offering them well-paying jobs and lodging in nations like Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, they try to attract them.
Upon arrival, their passports are taken, they are sold to various organisations, and they are made to work in establishments that engage in unlawful phone or online scams.
According to Taiwanese authorities, nearly 5,000 citizens have been recorded leaving for Cambodia and never coming back.
Online Scams Cure
Only 0.05% of cybercrimes are prosecuted, according to data currently available. Increasing awareness is insufficient.
An international system for sharing scam data could be used as a form of prevention (be it domains, email addresses, cryptocurrency addresses, or bank accounts).
Consumers would only use the information to evaluate their risk of falling victim to fraud and to proactively block or remove malicious assets.
Report Scams in India (Online Scam)
You have the option of sending your complaint against cyber fraud via email or letter. To find the contact information for the cyber cell police in different cities, look in the table that is provided below.
| Place | Contact | Address and Email | Website |
| Chennai | 91-044-23452348 91-044-23452350 | ACP, Cyber Crime Cell, Commissioner office Campus Egmore, Chennai- 600008 E-mail id: s.balu@nic.in For Rest of Tamil Nadu, Address: Cyber Crime Cell, CB, CID, Chennai E-mail id: cbcyber@tn.nic.in | NA |
| Bangalore | 91-80-22201026 91-80-22943050 | Cyber Crime Police Station, C.O.D Headquarters, Carlton House, No. 1, Palace Road, Bangalore-1 ccps@blr.vsnl.net.in ccps@kar.nic.in | Check here |
| Hyderabad | +91-040-2324 0663 +91-040-2785 2274 +91-040-2785 2040 +91-040-2329 7474 (Fax) | Cyber Crime Police Station, Crime Investigation Department, 3rd Floor, D.G.P. office, Lakdikapool, Hyderabad–4 cidap@cidap.gov.in info@cidap.gov.in | cybercell_hyd@hyd.appolice.gov.in |
| Delhi | +91-11-24362203 +91-11-26851998 +91-11-26515229 +91-11-24392424 | CBI Cyber Crime Cell:, Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime Investigation Cell, Central Bureau of Investigation, 5th Floor, Block No.3, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003 cbiccic@bol.net.in dcp-eow-dl@nic.in | http://cbi.nic.in |
| Uttar Pradesh | 094544 57953 | Sri Balmiki Marg, Inside Hazratganj Police Station, DM Compound Colony, Hazratganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001 Email ID: NA | NA |
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