Azra Kanjud Orin: “Congratulations! You’ve won 23,343taka. Click here to claim”, none of us living in this era should supposed to be unfamiliar with such kind of offers via message.What becomes the consequences? A simple click and victimized with account drained or might be any sort of online harassment.

From fake job posts to share links both the highly educated and normal people end up with falling prey to online scams like- scams related to mobile banking, fake job offers,frauds while online shopping, lottery prize offers, easy loan paying services of this civilization.

Stepping into the century of hyper-connectivity, this civilization is swing between carrefour innovative ideas and face immense digital insecurity-seeks check and balance of the damaged media responsibility and enforcement of law.

The rapid growing digital economy of Bangladesh motivates citizens in being dependent on online money transfer, social sites e-commerce for purchase-sale and multi-tasking purpose. The paradox of digital economy and online dependencyleads to trace the history of fraudsters.According to the Home Minister Bangladesh lost 21,000 core Tk between the year 2006-2021 and the horrible phenomenon is it has never been decreased rather morphing is going on alarmingly by times.

In the epoch of 2000’s Pyramid and MLM scams through the associations- Jubok and Destiny gave us the reality check of cyber scams.2010’s gave the real concept of e-commerce scams by those dubious online business platforms offered unthinkable discounts and ended up with delivering no product or in some means partial goods in return. Thatwas the first wake up call for weak consumer protection by means of online business platforms.

The Bangladesh Bank Cyber Heist,2016 triggered the whole county at once as the hackers manipulated the SWIFT System using random malware to send 35 fraudulent transfer requests. Through this procedure they victoriously stole 81 million dollars from the account of Bangladesh Bank at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Impersonating themselves as service agents from renowned money transfer companies, the fraudsters started tricking users on by means of sharing PINs and OTPs in the beginning of 2020s together with an exponential expansion of phishing links, fake prize and job offer links over FacebookWhatsApp.

A research of 2024 found out that cybercrime prevalence doubled to 11.85% in one year, with 21.65% cases involving social media platforms. Fraudulent cloud services like MTFE operatedbold expression- metaverse and crypto in order to attract investors, paves way for recent trends for cyber scams.Legal agencies evaluate approximately 400+ Ponzi CEOs ran across Bangladesh that looted millions.

The statistics of victims are more terrifying than the background of cyber fraud. The young adults of 18-30 years are the worst sufferers as of 78.78% along with 59% of women victim, even the children under18 years got place in this chat having 13.65%. This brings the ultimate result of 40.15% financial loss against 47.72% social harm with mental breakdown of the victims.The created danger zone seeks legal enforcement.

Legal Enforcement: Information and Communication Technology Act,2006 was the very first enactment for tracking online hacking and fraud. Digital Security Act,2018;Cyber Security Ordinance,2025 try to restrain the subtle legal loopholes. The Penal Code, 1860deals with reputational and financial harm caused via online media.

Unlike every social epidemic cybercrime also deserves public and individual awareness. Though cybercrime has already brought under legal enactment, reportedly only 12% of the victims sought legal help that brings comparatively a small-scale benefit. Having no territorial boundary and being corresponded with the advancement of technology cyber related crimes grasps not only a rather the whole world through itsaghast roar.

Social media hacking, dark web videos, pornography sites are leading social and emotional distress to the affected mostly the women victims. Money scams bring individual financial loss escorting economical collapsing for a country. Having lack of knowledge about digital fraud, enactment incapacity and social stigma result in losing interest of people especially the women victims to file report against cybercrime.

To the victims- All the people including the women need to become conscious of their own rights and become serious about the real meaning of harassment. They should not care for some so called superstitions and stigmas while taking stand against the wrongs are continuously happening with them and getting victimized.

Writer: Azra Kanjud Orin Department of Law, Bangladesh University of Professionals.