Online security is a major concern in this digital age with rising internet users.
There has been a significant rise in cybercrime in last five years. As per government data, reported cybercrime cases have increased from 26,049 (2019) to 740,957 (in first four months of 2024). Cyberattacks and data breaches have witnessed a troubling surge as between January to April 2024, Indians suffered losses over Rs 1,750 crore due to cyberfraud. To educate people about safe browsing and avoiding online scams, Meta has initiated a safety campaign named 'Scam se Bacho' in association with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Government and Meta join forces for "Scam se Bacho" Campaign to tackle rising online scams!
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) October 17, 2024
The initiative aims to combat the growing menace of scams and cyber frauds, aligning with the government's commitment to addressing the rising cases of online scams and enhancing cyber… pic.twitter.com/PkGBwkd8tU
Credit - X/@MIB_India
The Indian Government has set a goal to tackle rising online fraudulent activities with two-month-long campaign. This includes a comprehensive national consumer awareness campaign about online safety and security in 9 different Indian languages. Doordarshan will conduct informative talk shows with training sessions to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement officers across India.
During the launch of the campaign, Meta has also released an educational film starring Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana highlighting most common scams that Indians face in daily lives. In this campaign film, the actor is seen encouraging people to stay alert to combat scams.
Credit - Insta/@ayushmannk
The film also focuses various safety features on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and messaging app WhatsApp to empower users to take full control of their digital life.
Moreover, Meta has launched a content series in collaboration with Instagram creators to aware people about spotting scams.
Among many, the most observed scams in recent times are OTP scams, Impersonation scams, trading and investment scams, and fake loans scam. The victim is tricked to share confidential information under sense of urgency. Sometimes, unreasonable returns on investment lead to loss of lot if assets.
India has currently more than 900 million active internet users and world leader in UPI transactions. Thus “ensuring the safety of our digital ecosystem is of paramount importance,” said Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, of the MIB.
Rajesh Kumar, CEO, of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, said, "At I4C, our mission is to create an effective framework and ecosystem for the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of Cybercrime in the country. We are pleased to collaborate with Meta on this nationwide campaign, which aligns with our goals to enhance awareness, strengthen law enforcement capabilities, and ultimately create a safer digital ecosystem for all. The 'Scams se Bacho' initiative is a timely and much-needed step towards protecting users from the ever-evolving landscape of online scams.”
During the launch of this anti-scam initiative, Meta spokesperson gave important reminder about essential safety tools including Two-factor authentication, WhatsApp's group privacy, Block and Report. The initiative also focuses on Meta's in-built features to safeguards from online scams, fraud as well as account-compromising threats.
On a personal level, you must use strong passwords, Multi-Factor Authentication, verify the email/message sender before clicking on links, and use secure WiFi networks for devices.
Nobody wants their extremely personal data to come out on public, but data breaching has made access to such sensitive information bringing a lot of threats to civic life. Always remember that, cyber attackers keep on improving their techniques to breach your protection. Thus, you need to stay up-to-date with newest cyber security methods.
