Security systems must adapt to real, virtual worlds

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Caution: keyboard seemed to be the message in a session on online fraud, reported by this paper yesterday. While we inhabit the virtual world thanks to the reshaping of the contours of our lives because of the pandemic, experts are warning about conmen operating successfully in this space.

While we have been repeatedly told to be wary about this phenomenon, there were a few outstanding takeaways from this.

One was that grievance redressal numbers itself need to be checked as they may be fake. Intuition is a strong barrier against falling for traps. If something sounds and reads too good to be true, it most probably is.

A cyber law advocate said that our justice delivery mechanism in the case of online fraud needs to be much more robust. Most importantly, they need to be online. Here, the complaints may be online, but justice has to be done physically, through numerous and relentless follow-ups at police stations.

There was also a warning for people that filing complaints means following up until it reaches the relevant police station. One phone call or an email sent does not mean that the complaint has been lodged. We have to ensure that they are converted to First Information Reports because only then it means that the legal machinery can swing into action.

In the end, the onus is on people too, who do not heed all instructions on not revealing sensitive details on the Internet. Even the well-read fall into traps, primarily because of greed. We all need to eschew from these get-rich-quick gambits because even the educated fall prey as they are unable to resist the lure.

Let people heed those words and the system change as much as possible when it comes to justice. We live in both worlds now, the real and the virtual, and our mechanisms need to factor that in.

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