The Dark Web (Part 2)
What are
the consequences faced by victims of cybercrime?
Victims of any
crime undergo consequences, so victims of cybercrime are no exception. In fact,
victims of cybercrime may face prolonged consequences as the cyber world is
invisible and lurking, up there in the ‘cloud’.
Let me share
some examples. Names and other details are changed to protect identity.
Case 1
Shalu was in an
intense relationship with Mohit. They loved their clandestine meetings. During
these meetings Mohit had persuaded her to be filmed and photographed. During the pandemic Shalu was
shocked beyond wits when her friends began to call her after receiving her her
nude pictures and clips. Mohit had sent them to several common friends. The
final straw was when he sent the same to her mother. Floodgates opened. Shalu
was overwhelmed with strong feelings of shame, guilt, and grief. Her trust was
broken. The relationship ended, of course. She experienced anger, rage, and
helplessness. Above all, fear loomed large that the images and clips would
resurface in future, and she would pay a heavy price for her error in judgment
and in trusting the wrong person. The crime has been reported and Mohit is now in
police custody.
Case 2
Meetha is a
Social Media influencer. Hence, you will often find her on different online platforms
frequently. A recent post had content that evoked memes and attracted trolls.
Within seconds her Twitter handle was ambushed. Extremely vulgar comments were
posted as a response to her tweet(s). Meetha went into hiding. Unable to bear
the stress and shame she began to experience anxiety and panic. She had to seek professional help for her
suicidal thoughts.
Case 3
Mala is a
married woman. Recently, her ‘first crush’ got in touch with her. Soon they
began sexting. All was fine till he started blackmailing her and demanding
money. Being ridden with guilt and fear she coughed up the first amount of Rs.20,000.
The man then began to increase the frequency of his money demands. Vexed she
spoke to her husband, and they made a formal complaint. The blackmailer is now
behind bars, yet Mala’s marriage has taken a beating. Shame and guilt has consumed
her. She is very depressed. She has become obese in the last six months as she
has developed the habit of compulsive eating.
Case 4
Raj is 63 years
old and retired from service. He had just started enjoying the fruits of his
long and hard labour. One day he got a call from an ‘SBI official’ when he was
shopping online. He gave away the OTP and in the blink of an eye his entire
savings was wiped out. Shell-shocked, ruined financially, and blaming himself
for the issue he has now become a wreck.
Case 5
A start-up
company had their internal mailing system hacked. They lost precious data and
now they must start fresh. This has cost them valuable time and money. For a
start-up, these two are the most valuable & costliest resources. Such a
issue can even result in the closure of the said company even before it could
start its journey. The founders are in shock and stress. One of them had a minor
heart attack due to the stress of the looming uncertainty.
There are
several more cases, like the above. It is time that we accept that cybercrimes
are the upgraded version of the physical crimes that we were so far used to,
and that they are on the increase as criminals have upgraded themselves. The
consequences of cybercrimes can be far more dangerous than physical crimes.
·
The
consequences take a heavy toll on one’s finances to extent of crippling their
financial independence and even making them homeless.
·
Social
relationships take a hit, some are damaged forever especially in a marriage.
Trust is broken and we know that establishing trust takes a lifetime. Losing
trust and trying to win it back is going to be almost an impossible feat.
·
Victims
tend to withdraw from people around them as their emotional wellbeing is
disrupted - depression, anxiety, panic, shame, guilt, self-blaming, eating disorders,
helplessness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation are some common fall outs
seen in such cases.
·
Personal
and professional/academic life is affected.
So, what can we
do to protect ourselves?
To be
continued….
PS: This article has been published on other platforms/forums.
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