- One must immediately register a complaint in case of cyber fraud in the “Golden Hour” on 1930, so that action can be taken immediately to stop the fraud: Miral Boricha, Police Inspector, Ahmedabad Cyber Police Range
- Police Sub-Inspector, Ahmedabad Cyber Police Range Karishma Chaudhari’s interactive session with the audience was very informative
- Awareness on cybersecurity and preventing crime are need of the hour: Dr Kamlesh V N, Vice Chancellor, Gandhinagar University
- Riding the digital wave is the need of the hour, but one must be careful on the online space and always be cautious while operating on social media: Yash Kanani, Cyber Security Expert from Gandhinagar University
- The awareness drive in Ahmedabad is part of Bajaj Finance’s 100-city cyber security programme to inform citizens about different types of cyber threats, and ways to safeguard one’s finances against fraudsters
NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, JULY 11
Bajaj Finance Ltd (BFL), India’s largest Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) in the private sector, and part of Bajaj Finserv, on Friday held a cyber fraud awareness programme in Ahmedabad – Knockout Digital Fraud – to create awareness among digital users about different types of threats, and best practices to safeguard finances as part of a nationwide 100-city campaign. The drive aims to educate citizens on emerging cyber threats and equip them with tools to guard against digital financial frauds.
The Knockout Digital Fraud programme aligns with the Reserve Bank of India’s 2024 guidelines on Fraud Risk management for NBFCs, which emphasises early detection, staff accountability, and public engagement to make the digital ecosystem safer for everyone.
The programme is focused on drawing citizens’ attention to common financial frauds committed by scammers, including fake social media accounts, WhatsApp groups and websites that mimic financial companies, falsely claiming affiliation and impersonating their employees.
Addressing the audience during the Bajaj Finance’s “Knockout Digital Fraud” awareness initiative, Police Inspector, Ahmedabad Cyber Police Range, Miral Boricha informed the audience, “To be alert and not fall for lucrative or unrealistic investment schemes floating on social media channels and always keep the sensitive information safe. She said don’t consider cyber fraud as social stigma, it can happen with anyone, but one must immediately register a complaint in the “Golden Hour” on 1930, so that action can be taken immediately to stop the fraud”, she added.
Speaking during the fraud awareness initiative, Police Sub-Inspector, Ahmedabad Cyber Police Range Karishma Chaudhari said, “Most of the scams happen mainly due to two reasons -first lack of knowledge about our own device and technology and secondly it can be attributed to human greed and desire to make quick money.” She urged the citizens to be safe on social and digital platforms and always think twice before allowing permission to apps to share your data as, most of the frauds happens thorough it. Her interactive session with the audience was a very informative one and an icing on the cake for this awareness drive.
Speaking on the industry-academia collaboration to tackle the rising trend of digital fraud and cybercrimes, Dr. Kamlesh V N, Vice Chancellor, Gandhinagar University, said, “Our university offers 6-month certificate course in cybersecurity to 10th passouts and also diploma, UG and PG courses in this emerging field with state-of-the-art lab to churn out future-ready manpower. Awareness on cybersecurity and preventing crime are need of the hour.”
Yash Kanani, Cyber Security Expert from Gandhinagar University, shared insights on various types of frauds that are more prevalent in current times, including WhatsApp hacking, digital arrest, e-SIM fraud. “Riding the digital wave is the need of the hour, but one must be careful on the online space and always be cautious while operating on social media or accepting friend’s request from unknown profiles on any platform, it could be the first step to the scam,” Kanani said.
Speaking on the occasion, a spokesperson from BFL, said, “The financial safety of our consumers is paramount to us. We are constantly issuing online and offline advisories, on social media platforms, as well as through on-ground interactions with citizens, encouraging everyone to be cyber safe.”
Experts and dignitaries present at the event included Assistant Sub-Inspector Gokulgiri Goswami, Retired IG Gujarat Police Rajendra Jotangiya and Retired ACP Anti-Corruption Bureau N D Chavan.
Knockout Digital Fraud offers the cyber community valuable safety tips on safeguarding personal and sensitive information. This includes refraining from sharing OTPs, PINs, clicking on suspicious emails, SMSs, links, QR codes and downloading applications from unknown sources. It includes a series of interactive workshops, digital awareness drives, and community outreach programs across major cities and towns.
