PIB Kohima Hosts Workshop to Fight Rising Digital Fraud and Empower Citizens

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Kohima organized a one-day media workshop titled “Cyber Suraksha Abhiyan: Protecting Citizens from Digital Fraud” at Hotel Japfu, featuring experts from NIELIT Kohima who addressed the growing threat of cybercrime. Principal and Forensic Analyst Atoshe Lohe detailed the Home Ministry’s Money Restoration and Grievance Redressal modules, stressing that prompt reporting via the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 and online portal significantly improves fund recovery chances while cautioning against remote access apps and unverified downloads. Cyber Security faculty Visezo Dahou presented startling data showing India lost ₹22,495 crore to financial fraud across 28.15 lakh complaints in 2025, with fake investment and trading scams accounting for 76 percent of total losses. Urging the public to adopt a “Pause, Verify, Report” strategy, Dahou warned against common threats like “digital arrest” scams, AI voice cloning, and fraudulent APK files, reminding attendees that a UPI PIN is strictly used to send money rather than receive it. He highlighted that over ₹11,158 crore has been successfully saved through the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System as of mid-2026. Attended by media professionals, local press club members, and university students, the workshop emphasized continuous capacity building for law enforcement to navigate complex encrypted platforms and urged victims of online extortion to preserve evidence rather than yield to blackmail demands.