Why does 'digital arrest' make ordinary citizens feel so afraid?

The truth is that one takes leave of one's senses when he is hit where it hurts—pride and sensitivity

- S MURLIDHARAN

Online fraudsters must be well-versed in cyber psychology, besides being brazen. Your electricity connection will be severed in 24 hours—is the fraudster's SMS message. If you are weak-kneed and unthinking, you ring him back. He poses as a credit recovery officer of the electricity board and kindly offers to stop the disconnection if you paid to the given bank account the given amount. Common sense should have cautioned the victim that he had paid all the electricity dues on time and even if there were some dues, it would show up in his account. In any case, why the hell should you pay to a private number when the electricity board has payment gateways? The truth is that one takes leave of one's senses when he is hit where it hurts—pride and sensitivity. The victim and his family are accustomed to creature comforts like 24-hour AC, internet and television. So, he does not think of challenging the bluff of the trickster.