PRS-I organises Conference on Cyber Crime
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 5 Jan: The Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), Dehradun Chapter, organised a roundtable conference on Sunday, titled “Cyber Crime and Misinformation: Challenges and Solutions”. The primary goal of the conference was to raise awareness about the growing threats of cybercrime and misinformation, and to find solutions to these challenges.
The Chief Guest, Dr Nitin Upadhyay, Joint Director, Information Department, stated that before believing or forwarding any information on social media, one should pause and reflect. It is one’s responsibility to ensure that incorrect or misleading information is not spread in the rush to share news. He emphasised that alongside “Think Before You Share”, “Think Before You Care” is equally important. He also discussed the AAA Plan for combating fake news and misinformation, which includes Awareness, Advocacy for the right policies and laws, and Action to eliminate misinformation through accurate information.
Ankush Mishra, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Cyber Crime Station, highlighted the toll-free number 1930, which is India’s National Cyber Crime Helpline. Citizens can use this number to report online cybercrimes and financial fraud. The service is available 24/7 and plays a key role in strengthening cybersecurity.
He mentioned that preventing cybercrime is only possible through awareness and that the media plays a vital role in educating the public. Mishra elaborated on various types of cybercrimes, including deep fakes (using artificial intelligence to create fake videos and audio), pension fraud through fake calls and messages, SIM upgrade fraud, investment frauds, biometric data theft, illegal digital networks, courier fraud, phishing and vishing, skimming, RFID skimming, fake QR code fraud, KYC fraud, fraud through fake mobile apps, and AI-based voice cloning. He also shared prevention measures for these crimes.
Mishra praised the performance of Uttarakhand Police in tracking and acting against cybercriminals. He shared examples of how victims were targeted and how the police took action. He urged the public to lock their biometric information, which can easily be done via the official Aadhaar website. He advised avoiding opening unknown links, obtaining official helpline numbers from authorised websites, not answering WhatsApp video calls from unknown numbers, and not reacting immediately to threatening messages or calls.
Ishan Bhushan, Assistant Manager, Corporate Communication at THDC, stressed the importance of constant vigilance due to the availability of smartphones, which track our actions and can be used to generate and spread misleading information. He discussed tools for identifying the sources of information and big data.
On this occasion, Ravi Bijaraniya, President of PRSI Dehradun Chapter, stated that the event was organised to raise public awareness. He mentioned that similar events on other topics will be held in the future. Other PRSI members, including Vice President Dr Amarnath Tripathi, Secretary Anil Sati, Treasurer Suresh Chandra Bhatt, Vaibhav Goyal, Sanjay Singh, Shivangi Singh, Ajay Dabral, Sanjay Bhargava, Anil Datt Sharma, and Anil Sati, along with media representatives, were present. The event was conducted by Anil Verma.
