The internet isn’t an opportunity gateway for women in Pakistan anymore. In a world where feminism encourages women to step out of their comfort zones and claim their space, Pakistan’s scammers have found new ways to put them down. Digital fraud has become their new way of exploitation. Just when a woman thinks that a good opportunity has landed in her way, she is jolted back to reality, often with financial loss and emotional distress.
The real tragedy lies not only in the financial loss but in the feelings of unworthiness, vulnerability, shame, and self-disgust that follow. Weak institutional responses are just a cherry on top of this emotional distress.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, being a victim is also a victim’s fault, especially when it is a woman. With these scams comes an overbearing wave of criticism. A blame directed towards women for not knowing better. But who can keep pace with the ever-evolving ways of exploitation that Pakistanis always seem to find?
Layout of Digital Traps
Fraudsters weaponized women’s trust by wrapping deception in the disguise of convenience. What looks like an online store for clothes or cosmetics turns out to be a scam when they place these “too good to be true” deals and pay through online platforms and then end up receiving questionable products or, EVEN WORSE, no products at all.
Another deceptive tactic called OTP phishing is played on people when they receive a “courier” message asking them for a “delivery code.” This code is nothing but your one-time password that they would need for emptying your bank account.
Emotional exploitation leading to financial exploitation of the victim. This one’s a little too inhumane to adjust to, where scammers built a foundation of deceptive trust, empty promises, and lies for eternity. These connections can easily escalate into extortion, with women being blackmailed with threats to leak their intimate photos out in the open for the world to see.
Fake job offers remain an imminent threat to financial scams. Victims are lured by handsome opportunities, only to have access to the victim’s CNICs and bank deposits. Scammers are also targeting through WhatsApp and Telegram, offering online jobs that are yet another way of exploiting money.
The worst of them all is AI. How AI has made it so easy to do anything with anyone’s image or voice. In worst cases, these images are also uploaded on the dark web.
