आत्म Self-Protection
Self-Protection: The Rise of Digital Financial Fraud
Industrial development is driving technological change that has a significant impact on human life. The world’s industrial revolution has progressed rapidly, from the 0.1 Industrial Revolution to the current 0.5 Industrial Revolution, from the use of steam engines to the current boom in AI to assist humans in daily tasks and replace jobs with robots (human society).
Furthermore, another undeniable factor is the rise in fraud cases perpetrated by certain individuals exploiting rapidly evolving technology. Digital fraud is on the rise, with various motives to profit from victims. This fraud will destabilize the economy, especially the victims, making it likely that people will lose trust in digital finance. I will outline some ways to protect yourself from today’s digital finance.
Everyone can benefit from these technological advancements, but many are unable to adapt to the current revolution, resulting in both positive and negative impacts. This is especially true for millennials, who must adapt to various technological advancements, which can take time and require guidance to effectively use the features and protect themselves from rampant fraud.
Fraud is also rampant among Gen Z, who are less selective about the digital activities they engage in. Current technological advancements impact various lifestyles, needs, jobs, and so on. However, it is undeniable that many data leaks are linked to fraudsters seeking profit. As technology advances, fraud also increases. Therefore, we must utilize these positive impacts wisely and always protect ourselves from the negative ones.
The global economy is currently growing with the industrial revolution. The impacts are significant, from optimizing production to meeting people’s needs to creating many new jobs. The current economy is indeed growing rapidly, coupled with the convenience created for transactions, investments, and so on.
Advances in today’s era have led most people worldwide to adopt cashless payments due to their ease and convenience, but not all establishments offer cashless systems. Currently, in Indonesia, many shops, institutions, malls, and even street vendors are adopting cashless systems. Popular applications include Qris, Dana, Shoppepay, and others.
However, numerous fraud cases are occurring, ranging from QR codes being replaced with the perpetrator’s own, resulting in no payment and harming the victim. Phishing links often sent from unknown numbers disguised as packages, wedding invitations, prize draws, and so on, even though these links can actually hack all data. Even online loans that charge excessive interest rates. As technology advances, fraudulent motives continue to evolve.
Digital financial fraud is rampant, with contributing factors including a lack of public attention and double-checking of information received, numerous lures from perpetrators to attract victims, a lack of awareness about current fraud, and much more. The fraud that occurs can disrupt the economic stability of the victim because it will create a lack of trust in digital financial applications.
One way to protect ourselves from digital financial fraud is to first pay attention and double-check the information we receive. For example, if a user receives a link to a 1 billion rupiah lottery from a financial application, don’t immediately believe it. The user should double-check whether the financial application is running a lottery and whether the user is participating. Don’t act hastily.
If there is no such activity and you haven’t participated in any lottery, immediately block and report the number. If there is a lottery and you participated, immediately check with the operator, who can help confirm whether the information is true or false. Furthermore, don’t be easily lured by attractive prizes. For example, if a user receives a message promising a car, the perpetrator will ask for tax money from the prize, but after the money is given, the perpetrator cannot be contacted.
To avoid this, users must be selective in their information and avoid immediately believing sweepstakes with large prizes. We can check whether a financial institution or application is offering prizes. If so, you can probably go directly to the location (if the institution is reputable and there are large prizes being offered). If the perpetrator asks for money, don’t give it immediately; wait for the prize to be awarded first (if the information is true) or immediately block the number and report it (if the information is false). Then, follow and read all information about fraud to learn from the mistakes of others.
The rapid development of the industrial revolution always brings new challenges for everyone around the world, including the rampant fraud cases. We can’t avoid fraud today, but we can tackle it starting with ourselves and sharing the information we receive with others. Don’t forget to double-check and reconfirm news or information. Money is indeed everything because it can buy anything, but we must earn it in a good way to avoid harming others.
By: Anaya Jugo Rukmisakanti
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