Money that disappears...

Life online is not so fair. The Internet has made leaps and our lives have become unbelievably easier.

From financial transactions to achieving educational qualifications to shopping online. We have even learned to work in a hybrid style, easily sliding from offline to online.

There is a whole generation for whom it is a norm, and then there are the others who are still shy because they find it risky.

Is it being old-fashioned?

Apparently not.

A young man wanted to sell a child car seat on an online platform for buying and selling. As usual, he posted the picture, and sure enough, he received a phone call. It so happened he was taking a nap. Not one of the best times to negotiate, but the caller was ready to close the deal and make the purchase right away. The buyer called back and said to give the details on the link he had sent. The seller did so. He got a notification immediately. Instead of money being deposited into his account, the notification read, "RO 300 has been debited from your account."

He has not recovered from his shock yet. Although he has blocked his card and informed the bank and authorities, he has no hope he will get back his lost money.

I have another friend who used a common platform to order food and later paid for a second bill but for a smaller amount. The small amounts can add up. Thanks to the notifications, yet another product of the digital age. The digital age might have left our minds preoccupied, but it keeps us informed, and others too. 'Data' is the keyword.

If you are just curious, check out how much the AI knows about you.

"It even knows about my gym activity," said my friend.

The banks, through their campaigns, have been educating their customers that no matter what, they will never ask for the bank's details over a mobile number.

Now, the pranksters also seemingly call from landlines.

"And when you call back, the line never connects," said a friend who regularly receives calls.

But the biggest bluff she experienced was receiving the so-called calls from the hypermarkets congratulating her for winning the lucky draw, but they needed the middle part of the account number. So obviously they have data of the partial account number and phone number.

The sad part is this also falls in the category of communication.

At some point, one has to converse with a person whose intention is to cheat you of your money. Many of us think cybersecurity is something only the government and the corporate world have to deal with.

Some of the concerned areas are network security, application security, information security, cloud security, cloud security, IoT security and identity and access management.

Some people can think quickly on their feet and bounce back before they fall into the trap.

Once bitten, twice shy, they say. But cyber threats evolve as well, with perpetrators catching up with new ways to catch the innocent.

These types of crimes do fall into the category of Internet fraud and are cyber-dependent crimes.

Most importantly, there are victims. Victims who might be vulnerable may not always know how to go about getting help or guidance.

It is important to know and accept the fact that there might be people who do not have the best intentions.

This is why there are still people who might shop online but prefer to pay cash on delivery or arrival.

The digital wallet can be vulnerable.

But the digital world is the reality, and the only way to move forward is to cope with the challenges and changes. Awareness of safety measures is a need that cannot be overlooked in this ever-changing sector.