Think before you Click

Think before you Click

Cyber crime is emerging as a very serious threat in today’s world. The internet brings joy to our lives but at the same time it has some negative sides too. The cyber criminals are always in a search to find out the new ways to attack the possible internet victims. Witty International School, Pawan Baug in collaboration with Cyber Cell, Mumbai Police organized a seminar on ‘Cyber Crime Awareness’ to impart knowledge to the students and staff about the various issues related to cyber crime and hacking. The lecture was delivered by Shree Prakash Warke, Senior Officer at Cyber Cell Mumbai who interacted with the students for well over an hour, giving them an insight into the invisible world of cyber crime.

Explaining the need for such a seminar, Principal Bijo Kurian said, “Today, everybody is using the computers i.e. from white collar employees to terrorists and from teenagers to adults. All the conventional crimes like forgery, extortion, kidnapping etc. are being done with the help of computers. New generation is growing up with computers and today all the monetary transactions are moving on to the internet. So, it has become very important for us to be aware of the various cybercrimes being committed with the help of computers.” Shree Warke informed the students about the various crimes happening in cyber world among the teenagers such as hacking, cyber stalking, phishing, online frauds and so on. He also enlightened the students with the safety and security tips to be a good and safe user of this cyber world. He also emphasized that students must never befriend people over the internet and should also not try to fix up a meeting with them without informing their parents.

 

 The now-indispensable Internet, Warke informed them, was attractive to criminals because they don’t need physical contact to harass their victims and they find it easy to hide within the cyber world. A social network, he informed them, may be a place for keeping up with friends, but it was also a place for cyber crimes. (Nearly all the students present in the hall had raised their hands when asked how many were active on Facebook).

 Warning them against ‘adding’ unknown friends, Warke said: “At any given time, there are over 50,000  predators online. Chat rooms can easily become ‘’cheat rooms,’’ where conversations with strangers can quickly become intimate and young girls may be easily swayed by the pampering words thrown at them.” “Don’t believe anyone online - their profiles might be fake,” he cautioned the students. “If someone tries to isolate you from your family and friends, or turns you against your parents or makes you keep secrets, these are all warning signs.”

Stressing the importance of strong passwords and non disclosure of ATM pins students were explained case studies of banking related cyber crimes. The students also learnt about various pirated softwares and the consequences of using them. Students and teachers found this awareness campaign to be very interesting and informative, adding that Cyber Security Awareness Campaign is helping to lead the way towards the development of safer use of internet.