The phone rings. A man introduces himself as Inspector Khalid from a local police station and asks for the father by name. His son, he says, has been arrested with two friends in a serious moral offence involving a girl. Wireless chatter crackles in the background—a carefully staged detail that makes the call sound authentic. Then the caller offers to let the father speak to his son. A frightened voice, sobbing, pleads that the police are beating him and begs his father to send whatever amount is demanded. At that moment, the father stops thinking rationally. Whether or not he has the money, he finds it and transfers it within minutes through a mobile wallet. Only later does he discover the truth. There was no arrest, no complaint, no Inspector Khalid. His son was never in police custody. Trying to rescue his child, he instead became the victim of a cybercrime—losing not only his money but also enduring some of the most terrifying minutes of his life.

Another call is far more polite. A courier company claims to have a parcel in the recipient's name and asks to confirm the delivery address. The address is read out correctly, instantly creating trust. The caller then says a verification code has been sent........

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