Digital Media Literacy and Cyber Scam Awareness

In the context of the increasing number of digital frauds and cyber scams, enhancing digital media literacy is crucial. This was the focus of a First Responder workshop conducted by the CyberPeace Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating cybercrimes.

Key Insights from the Workshop

• Scamming as a Social Engineering Technique:
  Scammers often use emotional manipulation to deceive victims. Anindita Mishra, a cybersafety campaigner, emphasized the importance of psychological preparedness to combat scams effectively.
• Data Harvesting through Social Media:
  Campaigns appealing for social media likes, such as those claiming Facebook contributions for each like, are often tactics for data harvesting. These initiatives help scammers identify legitimate IDs, fake IDs, or bots for targeted attacks.
• Factors Facilitating Digital Scams:
  • Temptation
  • Urgency
  • Credibility and Authority
  • Shame and Fear
  • Peer Pressure, particularly among children

Social Media Tagging Risks

• Consent in Tagging:
  Experts caution against tagging individuals on social media without their consent due to privacy concerns.
• Case Study - Saree Challenge:
  A viral trend, the saree challenge, involved tagging friends, which could escalate to hundreds or thousands, providing criminals opportunities for ID sniffing to access personal details like names and credentials.

The event highlighted the partnership with the Google Safety Engineering Centre India, underscoring the collaborative efforts in promoting cyber safety.