Citizen Clinic: How to protect yourself from cyber fraud

by December 13, 2023 Governance
Cyber crimes are rising at an alarming rate. Join us as we bring together a panel to discuss safety guidelines and redressal mechanisms.

The latest figures from the National Crime Records Bureau show a sharp rise in cyber crimes across India. In 2022, 65,983 cases of cybercrimes were registered, an increase of 13,009 from 52,974 in 2021.

Although Bengaluru, India’s IT capital, has the highest number of cyber crime cases registered in India, every single city and town are seeing increased instances of cyber frauds, cyber bullying, threats – sometimes resulting in tragic suicides of the victims.

Cyber crimes range from a simple financial scam of syphoning money from people’s bank accounts by asking for OTPs on phone to gullible customers to far more elaborate frauds wherein data and privacy of victims are breached, used for financial transactions that are hard to trace. Sometimes victims are threatened with physical violence. In many cases, senior citizens have lost their life’s savings to such scams. On the other hands, youngsters fall into these traps trying to avail loans, jobs or some financial incentives.

Cyber crime police and financial institutions conduct awareness campaigns and issue guidelines. However, the investigation, prosecution and conviction numbers are far from encouraging.

In this citizen clinic, our panel of experts will address questions from the public on the kinds of frauds which are taking place and how to safeguard oneself against them.

  • Focus on types of crime
  • How to protect ourselves – Do’s and Don’ts
  • Redressal – who is responsible – banks, wallet companies?
  • Legal recourse – Data privacy

Read more: Cybersafety tips: Before you decide to download that app, read this

poser
Experts with wide experience in the domain will respond to the queries crowdsourced from the public.

Event details:

  • Event Title: How to protect yourself from cyber fraud?
  • Date and Time: 15 December 2023, Friday from 6:00 pm onwards
  • Survey link: https://bit.ly/cyber_fraud (If you or someone you know has faced a crime, please fill up this form)
  • The discussion will be livestreamed on our Youtube channel.

Panellists:

  • Sanjay Shintre (IPS) – Superintendent of Police, Maharashtra Cybercrime
  • Karan Saini – Cyber security expert
  • N S Nappinai – Supreme Court Advocate and founder of Cyber Saathi
  • Gautam Mengle – Senior Assistant Editor – Mid-Day
  • Moderator: Prachi Pinglay-Plumber – Consulting Editor for Citizen Matters, Mumbai

Also read:

Sections:

About News Desk

The News Desk at Citizen Matters puts out Press Releases, notifications and curated information useful to the urban reader.
Read more by News Desk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Pre-poll report card: Citizens raise concerns over urban planning and governance gaps

by March 30, 2026 Governance
As the Assembly elections near, residents across Chennai flag zoning violations, poor urban planning amid rapid growth.

As cities grow rapidly, traffic, buildings, and loss of green cover inevitably follow. In 1974, the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) covered 1,189 sq. km; by 2022, it had expanded to 5,904 sq. km, bringing with it challenges of governance. Gaps in governance are foremost on the minds of the 28.3 lakh Chennai voters set to elect their Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) on April 23rd. The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government made 505 promises in 2021, of which it claims to have met 80%. But as residents and citizen groups come up with their manifestos ahead of the April…

Continue reading

Similar Story

In Bengaluru’s Kogilu Layout, evictions create another housing crisis for the city

by , and March 19, 2026 Governance
Months after the Kogilu demolitions, displaced residents still live in tents, citing lack of prior notice and delays in promised rehabilitation.

On December 20, 2025, families in Kogilu Layout, Yelahanka, awoke to the sound of bulldozers and their homes being razed. Vessels, bedding, school bags, medicines, and documents lay scattered around or broken. While official figures state that 167 structures were removed, residents and petitioners report higher numbers.  Beside the rubble, families assembled tarpaulin shelters. Residents say that for several days, makeshift solutions for water, toilets, and electricity were arranged and civil society groups provided temporary relief.  Residents and civil-society groups also allege that there was no written notice before the pre-dawn demolitions. In the aftermath, it is unclear where people slept…

Continue reading