In today's modern world, where everything is available at our fingertips, convenience is abundant but can quickly turn into a nightmare if precautions are not taken. Alongside these conveniences, new methods of committing crimes have emerged. Previously, robbers would physically loot people, but now even more dangerous ways have surfaced, known as cyber crimes. These involve hacking into your mobiles or systems to blackmail you, hacking your accounts, and robbing you of your money.
Last year, something like this happened to a friend of mine, which left all of us very worried. One day, I received a message from an unknown number claiming to be my friend, using his display picture and asking for money. I immediately called my friend to ask if it was true, and he denied it, saying he was being harassed. From his voice, I could tell he was in serious trouble. The next day, we met, and he told me the whole story.
He had downloaded a new app to get a loan, and although he had fully repaid it, he started receiving calls claiming that his payment was incomplete and demanding more money. After a few calls, the truth came out: the scammers told him they had access to his phone and would send embarrassing messages to his contacts if he didn't pay up. Initially, he didn't take it seriously, but soon his acquaintances started receiving messages just like I did.
This was a very delicate situation for him; he was extremely worried that his reputation at work would be damaged, and if his boss found out, he might even get fired, as no one wants to deal with such issues these days. Out of fear, he made the mistake of transferring some money to them, which only encouraged the scammers to demand more.
My friend, who isn't wealthy and lives on his salary, didn't have the money. He told me he wanted to pay them off to get rid of the problem, but I advised him that giving in would never end it. His mental state was deteriorating due to the stress. The scammers had threatened to send his fake pictures to his friends and relatives if he didn't pay.
He reported it to cyber security, but there was no significant response. It's surprising that in this age of advanced technology, we can't catch these criminals. Eventually, I convinced him that since he had nothing left to lose, he should tell the scammers to find a richer target and stop giving them money. I helped him draft a message explaining that his phone was hacked and asked his contacts not to respond to any messages or pictures sent in his name and to support him in facing this issue.
He finally understood and did exactly that, sending the message to everyone. When the scammers called again, he told them to do whatever they wanted, as he wasn't going to give them any more money. I also received a call from them, claiming to be from XYZ company and asking me to tell my friend to pay up. I told them to give me their address so I could come with the money, which confused them. They then threatened to hack my phone, to which I responded that they could do whatever they wanted.
This is a true story, and I was shocked by the experience. Thankfully, the calls stopped after that, and my friend hasn't received any more threats either. We recently discussed how fortunate we were to escape from these scammers.
After researching on YouTube, I found out that this is a very common issue, causing many people to even commit suicide. It's a dangerous crime happening in Pakistan, often triggered by downloading unknown apps that request access to your contacts and media, which they then misuse.
My advice to everyone is to avoid downloading unknown apps and be cautious of loan offers that could lead to hacking. No one is completely safe from these threats, but taking precautions can help. Please be careful and avoid unnecessary apps to protect yourself from such scams.