You can read Part 1 of this article if you would like to, before continuing here.
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 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. A recent post by her, 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 ofRs.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 have 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 were 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 and costliest resources. Such an 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 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 rise 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 the extent of crippling their financial independence and even making them homeless.
- Social relationships take a hit, some are damaged forever especially, marriages. 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 fallouts seen in such cases.
- Personal and professional/academic life is affected
So, what can we do to protect ourselves? To be continued.
Swapna Nair
October 2021
