They started arriving at my office in dribs and drabs, anxious faces clutching screenshots of vanished investments and receipts now rendered useless. Some were angry, others hopeful but all bore the hollow eyes of sleepless nights. Initially, I assumed these were mere disputes—an investment gone bad or a civil transaction disrupted. But as I listened, a grim pattern emerged: the same names, the same promise of guaranteed returns, and digital dashboards showing profits that no one could withdraw.This was no ordinary complaint. Beneath the glamorous discourse of cryptocurrency and business opportunities lay a colossal scam. Since 2020, the accused had spun a complex web of glittering businesses promising effortless, astronomical returns through crypto. Investors were lured not only by the profits but also by commissions for recruiting others—a classic pyramid scheme dressed in digital finery. Grand promotional events in five-star hotels celebrated supposed success stories, complete with visuals of luxury cars and overnight riches. The entire edifice was nothing more than a mirage constructed with meticulous deceit. When it collapsed, it left behind defunct websites and absconding masterminds who had enriched themselves by hundreds of crores.What struck me most was not just the scale but the reach of the fraud. Among the victims were dozens of police constables from a neighboring state, men once entrusted with law enforcement. Many had taken voluntary retirement to invest, seduced by easy money, only to unwittingly become agents of the same deceit. In our investigation, we invoked the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Act, 2019—applied for the first time in Punjab—seizing properties worth ₹25 crore as ill-gotten gains amassed on shattered dreams. Behind every figure was a story of misplaced trust, of people believing prosperity could be bought with a click.This episode is far from isolated. It cuts across socioeconomic strata and educational backgrounds. It reflects our times—where greed meets gullibility, and technology serves as the perfect accomplice. In today’s hyperconnected world, scams no longer hide in dark alleys but arrive through glowing screens, cloaked in the promise of quick prosperity. Investment frauds, crypto traps, loan app cons, social media “like and earn” schemes, fake movie rating tasks, and online survey scams—all thrive on one universal vulnerability: our willingness to believe wealth can be conjured out of thin air. From fake trading platforms to counterfeit job offers, digital con artists now speak the language of opportunity, adorned in legitimacy.According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 report, 68.9% of cybercrimes target financial deception—including fake investment schemes, trading apps, and crypto platforms—amounting to nearly 59,526 of 86,420 cases recorded.Victims are rarely careless; they are hopeful. An octogenarian retired Army colonel came to me, head bowed, accompanied by his daughter who only realized after he lost Rs 50 lakh to a ‘movie rating’ scam emanating from a Telegram group he joined through a deceptive Facebook message. He thought he was wisely investing time to earn easy money. But there is no free lunch online, only baited hooks. The illusion of effortless wealth has become the most potent weapon in a cybercriminal’s arsenal. In this digital jungle, it is not always the least educated who fall prey, but often those confident they are too smart to be deceived.Story continues below this adThe lesson is urgent and simple—verify before investing, question before clicking, and never believe promises that seem too perfect. Even those trained to enforce the law are disarmed by the glamour of greed, as seen in the crypto pyramid scheme cases. The internet enables both fortune-makers and felons alike. The most powerful defense is not just a firewall or password, but awareness.We can trace accounts, seize assets, and arrest masterminds, but no law can control the basic human temptation to believe in quick riches. Before clicking a link or forwarding a ‘too good to miss’ offer, pause. If wealth was that easy to get, everyone would be rich by now.One victim quietly told me before leaving, Pehle akal gayi si, paise taan baad vich gaye, Madam. (I lost my sense first, Madam, the money came later.) That line has haunted me ever since.(The writer is a Punjab-cadre IPS officer)