The Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Sujata Saunik, on Wednesday, July 24, launched a new helpline to promote cyber security awareness. The helpline, 9019115115, is operated by the Maharashtra Yuva Cyber Suraksha Upkram and the What Now movement.
The launch event took place at the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan Hall. Key attendees included Mumbai's Commissioner of Police Vivek Phansalkar, Director-General of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation B K Singh, Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Brijesh Singh, What Now founder Neeti Goyal, and co-founder Nivedita Shreyansh. Many students also attended the event.
During the event, Sujata Saunik highlighted the need for increased awareness of online transactions. Many citizens fall victim to cybercrime due to a lack of knowledge. The government aims to provide a cybercrime-free environment. Efforts will be made to strengthen the state's cyber security. The government will support public awareness initiatives.
Sujata Saunik also talked about the construction of a cybersecurity centre at Mahapay. She claimed that the state was making efforts to improve infrastructure for preventing and resolving cybercrimes.
Vivek Phansalkar advised young people to be cautious on social media. He warned against accepting friend requests or calls from strangers and urged them to report any online fraud to their parents and the police.
Sujata Saunik mentioned that there is a separate helpline, 1930, for cybercrime reporting. She encouraged victims of online fraud to report to the police and the helpline.
As per reports, the helpline has saved INR 116.63 crore over the past three years. Official data from the Maharashtra Cyber Police showed 4,554 reports of cyber fraud through the helpline in 2022, with victims losing INR 4.45 crore.
In 2023, 66,374 complaints were received, involving INR 440 crore in thefts. The cyber police recovered INR 54.16 crore from these cases. By April 2024, there were 52,673 complaints, amounting to INR 604 crore.
Share
Tweet
