The Odisha government has sought the cooperation of banking institutions to curb the rising menace of cybercrime, urging them to work closely with law enforcement agencies and launch public awareness drives.
Bankers have been asked to use both online and offline channels to spread awareness and educate customers against falling prey to Ponzi schemes and other fraudulent practices floated by unscrupulous entities.
The issue came up during the 34th meeting of the State Level Co-ordination Committee (SLCC), held at the Reserve Bank of India, Bhubaneswar, on Sunday.
Director-general of police Y. B. Khurania highlighted that the most common cybercrimes in Odisha include investment and trading scams, digital arrest scams, fake job and work-from-home offers, fraudulent websites and hotel bookings and social media frauds. He stressed the urgent need for bankers to take corrective measures to prevent the opening of “mule accounts,” which he described as the backbone of cybercrime networks.
RBI chief general manager (central office, Mumbai), Puspamitra Sahu, outlined the central bank’s proactive and adaptive approach to combating cyber-enabled frauds. He said the RBI has been strengthening the regulatory and supervisory framework while collaborating with state law enforcement agencies and running extensive customer awareness programmes on safe banking.
The meeting was chaired by development commissioner and additional chief secretary Anu Garg and convened by RBI regional director Dr Sarada Prasan Mohanty. Presiding over the meeting, Garg emphasised that while digital innovation has boosted efficiency and inclusion, it has also exposed citizens to risks. She called for continuous awareness programmes and swift conviction of cyber fraudsters to act as deterrents. “All stakeholders must take preventive and deterrent action promptly, ensuring
vulnerabilities are addressed,” she said.
The forum also deliberated on the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Act, 2019, as well as complaints against unincorporated bodies, cooperative societies and inputs from market intelligence.
