Lack of awareness has led to alarming rise in cyber crime, says expert in Tirupati

Cyber security expert I.L. Narasimha Rao addressing girl students at an awareness programme at SPMVV, in Tirupati on Monday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

Cyber security expert I.L. Narasimha Rao on Monday said that the alarming increase in cyber crime cases over the recent past can be attributed to the lack of awareness in handling the intricate nuances of the cyber world.

As part of the ‘Cyber Awareness Week’ currently being observed by the police department, an interactive session was conducted for girl students at Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV) auditorium in Tirupati on Monday.

Mr. Rao explained the ways in which fraudsters dupe gullible netizens, from children to senior citizens. “For those who think that only the rich and affluent get fleeced by online fraudsters, here is the warning: everyone is a possible victim,” he alerted.

Going by the spate of complaints received by the police in the recent past, Mr. Rao said the incidents of crime could have been averted had the mobile users refrained from installing unnecessary applications and giving unrestricted permissions, sharing their One Time Password (OTP) to strangers beguiling as known persons.

Superintendent of Police (SP) L. Subbarayudu urged the girl students to tread cautiously while browsing the internet. “Even educated youth are falling prey to money scams and honey trapping. There are instances of people taking their lives after losing their money, relationships, respect,” he explained.

SPMVV Dean (Student affairs) J. Katyayani, Additional Superintendents of Police J. Venkat Rao (Admin) and Ravi Manoharachary (Law and Order), Deputy Superintendent J. Venkatanarayana (Tirupati) and Sri Latha (Mahila PS) took part.