Exposing The Global Scam Crisis: Taking Back Control Of Our Digital Trust

We scroll through newsfeeds, bombarded with headlines screaming "Scam Alert!" It's become depressingly routine, another day, another scheme targeting students, job seekers, and even casual online browsers. We have become numb to scamming. We have normalized scams to the extent that it has almost become a part of our everyday routine to get a news update about a scam. One day it is students getting scammed, other day- it is some job scam, the other day it is a banking scam. Some scams try to fool you out for money, some try to steal your credentials while some are just teenagers testing their hands at new technology.

Rising Number of Global Scams:

Globally, the scams are rising. Recently a news agency published statistics highlighting that scams with international students in the UK have risen by more than 40% compared to last year. Separately, the United States of America released a precautionary guideline highlighting the underlying job scam, which lures freshers or recent college graduates through fake job offers, robbing them of their credentials including bank details. 

More than 700 Indian students were stranded in Canada after their admission documents were found forged; Global scams rake in an estimated $3.6 trillion annually, with international students increasingly caught in their crosshairs. In the US alone, 11% of international students reported experiencing a financial scam within their first year.

The financial loss is huge. $5.4 billion was lost to scams in the US alone in 2021, as per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While this figure encompasses all demographics, it gives a glimpse into the potential magnitude of losses from scams, including those targeting international students.

And this issue is not just limited to the US, it is a global issue. 

• Australia: A 2022 study found that one in five international students in Australia had encountered a scam, with phishing emails and fake housing rentals being prevalent.
• Canada: The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported a 60% increase in complaints from international students regarding scams in 2021 compared to 2020.
• India: A 2023 report by the Indian Police revealed a surge in scams targeting international students seeking education abroad, particularly those involving fake universities and scholarship offers. This also involves fake visas and foreign education fraud.

But at the center of it, the question remains, why have we normalized scams so much? 

Why Is It That We Have Normalized Such News? 

The constant digital deluge is our modern blessing and curse. We bathe in information, bombarded by emails, ads, messages, and clickbait, a never-ending stream eyeing for our attention. This overwhelming influx has given rise to a paradoxical response: a cynical numbness born from the sheer volume of noise that we are surrounded by daily. It has jammed our ability to think and differentiate between right and wrong. 

Imagine standing in a field filled with wolves disguised as sheep. In this situation, even a real sheep would raise suspicion, and we would consider it as sheep- this confuses the human brain, paralyzing thinking and decision-making ability. This makes scamming easy and widespread. 

On top of that, information overload induces a sense of powerlessness. We feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices and information, leading to a reliance on shortcuts and quick fixes. Preying on our decision fatigue, scammers offer these false shortcuts, appealing to our desire for instant gratification and aiding in easy decision-making.

Additionally, the narrative surrounding scams often feeds the "victim blaming" trap. When deception succeeds, the blame falls on the shoulders of the deceived, perpetuating a silence that allows the cycle to continue. This silence further breeds acceptance, normalizing the unacceptable. 

How to Not Normalize Scamming:

• Challenge the noise: Don’t let information overload get in the way of decision-making. Question everything; verify sources, and cross-check information. Be wary of "too good to be true" offers and resist the urge for instant gratification.
• Emphasize Critical Thinking: Education is the key. Teach yourself and others to identify red flags and prioritize logic over emotion.
• Demand system checks: Report anything that you find suspicious, dubious, or false. Make sure to hold platforms accountable for data privacy and security. We must create a digital environment that respects user privacy.

Conclusion:

Overall, falling easy prey to digital scams is not a simple case of apathy; it is the accumulative consequences of the digital world that we have built around us. Scams are not part of our everyday lives. They are a deliberate attack on trust and a sheer breach of privacy. Hence, by understanding the ‘why’, embracing awareness, and demanding changes, we can rewrite the narrative, the narrative about vulnerability, and societal silence, which are the very cause of normalizing the scams.