“We have educated passengers — especially senior citizens, students and homemakers — on how to protect themselves from online betting scams, fake job offers, phishing, digital arrest threats and other cyber threats prevalent today”: Siva Maruthi, ACP, CCCU
HYDERABAD: Over 500 passengers at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) were educated on the tactics used by cybercrooks during a cyber awareness programme conducted by the City Cyber Crime Unit (CCCU) on Tuesday. A team of experts from the CCCU explained how citizens can identify and respond to fraudulent messages and calls, particularly those received through social media or messaging apps.
The teams detailed several common scams, including fake RTO challans, PM Kisan Yojana updates, HMWS&SB payment links, loan apps, impersonation and part-time job scams (such as Meesho frauds), OTP and reward point traps, fake investment and trading platforms, credit card limit enhancement offers and social media impersonation.
“We have educated passengers — especially senior citizens, students and homemakers — on how to protect themselves from online betting scams, fake job offers, phishing, digital arrest threats and other cyber threats prevalent today,” said R.G. Siva Maruthi, ACP, CCCU.
The awareness drive was organised by Team-9 of the CCCU, which included the officers T. Vinay Kumar, S. Sammaiah, B. Naresh and S. Ravi Kumar. “We will continue such awareness programmes in public places, colleges, schools, and other institutions,” Siva Maruthi said.
The team also advised senior citizens not to panic if they receive fake calls claiming to be from investigating agencies or police officers. “Never share debit or credit card details, OTPs or click on unknown links. Avoid downloading suspicious APK files or apps from unofficial sources,” the ACP warned.
Victims of cyber fraud were urged to dial 1930 or report incidents at cybercrime.gov.in. For immediate help, citizens can contact 8712665171. Informative brochures containing preventive tips were distributed among passengers, many of whom appreciated the effort. Some elderly commuters admitted they were unaware of the new tactics used by online fraudsters.
