The Police Media Division has once again urged the public to be wary of strangers who come calling through dating applications and social media. Its latest warning, issued on Saturday (24), describes a now familiar pattern. A fraudster poses as a would-be friend, lover or even prospective spouse, spends days or weeks winning the victim's trust, and then persuades him or her to install an application presented as a dating platform. In reality, that application is malicious software, often an Android package file, which opens the door to the victim's phone, passwords and, ultimately, bank account.

There is nothing wrong with the advice. Indeed, it is sensible, clear and timely. However, it is hardly new. The Police, the Central Bank and the commercial banks have issued similar warnings for years, whether about lottery messages, fake parcel deliveries, investment schemes promising impossible returns or callers pretending to be bank officials. Yet the complaints keep coming and the losses keep mounting. The more uncomfortable question, therefore, is not what the public should do, since that is already well known, but why so many people continue to ignore what they have been told.

Part of the answer lies in the nature of the trap itself. These scams do not target the intellect; they target the heart. A lonely widower, a young man working far from home or a spouse starved of attention does not greet a warm message with the caution he or she would apply to a stranger asking for a loan. The fraudster knows this, and so takes time to build what feels like a genuine bond before making the first request. By the time the link arrives, the victim is no longer dealing with a stranger, at least in his or her own mind.

Moreover, shame works in the criminal's favour. Many victims, particularly those lured by promises of sexual services or illicit companionship, are reluctant to report what has happened, because doing so means admitting how they were caught. Consequently, the true scale of the problem is almost certainly larger than the complaints suggest, and the lessons that might have been learnt from each case are never shared.

There is also a deeper problem, and it is one of literacy. Sri Lanka has moved rapidly to smartphones, mobile banking and digital payments, but public understanding of these tools has not kept pace. A great many users cannot tell a genuine app store from a file forwarded on WhatsApp, nor do they understand why a one-time password must never leave their hands. Financial literacy is similarly thin, and those who do not grasp how money moves between accounts are easy prey for anyone who speaks with confidence.

Warnings alone, therefore, will not solve the problem. A press release reaches those who already follow the news; it rarely reaches those most at risk. What is needed is a sustained national effort to raise digital and financial literacy, much as earlier campaigns improved public awareness of health and road safety.

The school curriculum is an obvious starting point, since today's students will be tomorrow's account holders, if they are not already. Banks and telecommunications companies, which have profited handsomely from the digital shift, must also shoulder more of the burden. They could send regular, plain-language alerts in Sinhala, Tamil and English, hold back unusual transactions for verification, and make it far easier for customers to freeze an account at the first sign of trouble. Grama Niladharis, religious institutions, community organisations and the media have a role to play too, particularly in reaching older citizens and those in rural areas.

At the same time, the law must be seen to work. When fraudsters are traced, prosecuted and punished, and when those cases are publicised, the deterrent value is considerable. Victims, for their part, should be able to come forward without fear of ridicule.

Ultimately, however, no campaign can replace personal vigilance. A stranger who asks for money, a password or the installation of an unknown application is not a friend, whatever he or she may claim. If the public can be taught to pause, question and verify, these criminals will find this country a far less profitable hunting ground.