TRAI organised Consumer Outreach Programme on Consumer Protection and Cyber Hygiene
Panchkula, June 3: The Regional Office, Jaipur of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in association with the Citizens Awareness Group (CAG), Senior Citizens Council, Sector 15 Panchkula, Panchkula Police, Rotary Panchkula Greens and Panchkula Ladies Club organised a Consumer Outreach Programme on Consumer Protection, Telecom Awareness and Cyber Hygiene at the Senior Citizens Council premises in Sector 15, Panchkula on Wednesday.
The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from senior citizens, residents and community leaders who were sensitised about emerging cyber threats, digital safety practices, telecom consumer rights and the grievance redressal mechanisms available to consumers.
Addressing the gathering, JP. Garg, Joint Advisor, TRAI, Regional Office Jaipur said most cyber crimes are rooted in three human emotions — curiosity, greed and fear. Cyber criminals exploit curiosity through enticing links and messages, greed through promises of quick profits, rewards or investment schemes and fear through threats of account suspension, legal action or financial loss. The technology used by fraudsters may change, but the psychology behind these crimes remains the same. If consumers learn to pause, verify information and act rationally instead of emotionally, they can protect themselves from the vast majority of cyber frauds.
Sanjeev Meena, SRO, TRAI, RO Jaipur, and Kan Singh Dewal, ASO, TRAI, RO Jaipur, provided detailed insights into cyber hygiene practices, protection against online frauds, spam communications, phishing attacks and digital scams. Participants were encouraged to remain vigilant and make use of available reporting and complaint platforms.
In his deliverable Surinder Verma, Chairman, Citizens Awareness Group, emphasised the need for continuous public awareness campaigns, particularly among senior citizens, who are increasingly becoming targets of cyber fraud. He appreciated TRAI’s efforts in taking consumer education programmes directly to the community.
Cyber experts from Panchkula Police, Mohit Gupta and Vijender Verma, cautioned citizens against the rising incidence of online frauds and digital scams. They advised residents to never share OTPs, banking credentials or personal information over phone calls, messages or suspicious links.
The programme also featured an interactive session by Mohinder Kour Kataria, noted motivational speaker apart from the preventive submissions laid by representatives of telecom service providers like Airtel, BSNL, Reliance and Vodafone Idea.
