The Old Tricks Inside New Screens
On panic, imitation, and why digital fraud survives in an ancient emotional landscape
This front page ad by HDFC Bank in The Times of India today got my attention.
It made me wonder why people fall for digital frauds. A world that fits in the palm of our hand has also made room for tricks that our parents and grandparents never had to imagine. Earlier, danger arrived with a face. Today it arrives as a notification.
Fraudsters understand one simple truth about human beings. Panic makes us obedient. Urgency makes us blind. Trust makes us vulnerable. These three emotions have shaped history. In ancient marketplaces, con artists sold miracle potions by shouting louder than everyone else. During wars, armies spread false messages to break morale. Even in mythology, demons often disguised themselves as sages to enter kingdoms. The technique is old. Only the medium changed.
Digital arrest calls, fake investment groups, suspicious APK files. They all follow the same formula. They mimic authority. They imitate opportunity. They pretend to help. And they wait for the moment you feel overwhelmed.
A friend once asked me, “How do smart people fall for such things?”
I told him intelligence has nothing to do with it. Emotions move faster than thought. A threat to your bank account. A promise of high returns. A message that looks official. These things bypass logic.
Seneca wrote, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” Fraudsters know this. They trigger our imagination first. Fear of losing money. Fear of arrest. Fear of missing an opportunity. Once fear enters, caution exits quietly.
Digital life is convenient, but convenience demands awareness. Every tap is a doorway. Every link carries its own intention. The internet makes us powerful. It also makes us exposed.
The only defence is a quiet pause. A habit of checking before reacting. A refusal to trust anything that demands action immediately.
As I looked at the ad again, I realised something -
Technology evolves fast. Human emotions remain ancient. And that is exactly where fraudsters aim.
Stay alert.
Stay patient.
Stay curious.
