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A pilgrim in Dhaka received a phone call a couple of months later following his return from Hajj. The caller, introducing himself as a staff of the religious ministry, provided the pilgrim information regarding the already refunded Hajj money. Under the government arrangement, all pilgrims under the government management got refunds an amount for their food expenses before going to Hajj. Again, after return from Hajj, the pilgrims also got some refunds after the final adjustment of hajj costs. All the refunds took place through the bank transfers.
After providing all the information specifically, the caller told the pilgrim that the government would now refund some more and to get the refund the pilgrim had to give the debit or credit card information immediately. The caller also insisted that if the pilgrim made delay in providing the information, he would not get the money as it would be deposited in the Bangladesh Bank.
The unusual hurry from the caller's end to get the bank card information made the pilgrim suspicious. He refused to provide any information immediately and questioned why the government would not transfer the money to the bank account as it had done earlier. The caller failed to provide any satisfactory answer and finally disconnected. The pilgrim later contacted a senior official of the religious ministry who ensured him that there was no such refund option. The official also said that it was a fraudulent act and they have already received such allegations and also requested the police to look into the matter. It was also found that the fraudsters even clone cell phone numbers of the government staff and used their names and office details to sound authentic.
The whole thing clearly exposes the vulnerability of data privacy. The data of the pilgrims is subject to protection and only the relevant ministries and agencies should have access to those. These data are not for public eyes. Crooks involved in the fraudulent activities are able to access the information by exploiting the weakness of data security. It is also not unlikely that a few dishonest staffers of the government offices are involved in the racket.
Weakness in data protection is a serious issue in the country. Over the years, a number data hacking incidents took place revealing the insecure and vulnerable nature of data preservation. Nevertheless, little progress has been made so far to strengthen the data collection, preservation and protection system. It is both an issue of infrastructure and human resource. Without well-trained and efficient human resources, it is not possible to ensure data security even if the infrastructure is strong and updated. Moreover, responsible attitude of the staffers is also critical.
Fraudsters take the opportunity of the weak data protection system and use the personal information of the citizens. Law enforcing agencies have already arrested a number of digital cheaters and unearthed pieces of information on their activities and networks. Nevertheless, new techniques to cheat people are emerging in the digital or cyber world. The networks of the criminal are also growing fast. As a large number of people in the country are not aware of the digital or cyber security, it is easy to hoax them by using the trap of luring cash. Many people have already got trapped and lost their money. The challenges to address the growing problem are multiple. From the government to citizens at the grass-root level, everyone needs to be more cautious about using the digital platforms.