Bendur: St. Sebastian Church, Bendur, in association with the CAL and the Peace and Justice Commission, social communication commission, organised a Cyber Security Awareness Programme under the guidance of Rev. Fr. Walter D’Souza and the leadership of Vice President Deepak D’Souza. The programme aimed to educate parishioners about online fraud, cyber crime and the importance of staying safe while using digital platforms.
The programme began with a one-minute prayerful silence led by Jyothi Helen D’Souza of the Peace and Justice Commission.
In his message, Rev. Fr. Walter D’Souza urged people not to become greedy or take shortcuts to become rich. He highlighted that many people lose their hard-earned money due to a lack of awareness about mobile applications, social media and online scams.
The main awareness session was delivered by Kadri Police Inspector Anantha Padmanabha, who stressed the importance of trusting the police and reporting cybercrime without hesitation. He cautioned the gathering that fraudsters often pose as trustworthy individuals, begin conversations by using basic personal information and gradually manipulate victims into revealing more confidential details.
“Today, we must be careful of white-collar criminals in our society,” he warned, urging everyone, especially senior citizens, to remain vigilant while answering unknown calls and sharing personal or financial information.
During his hour-long session, Inspector Anantha Padmanabha explained various cybercrime incidents occurring in the local area and described how people fall victim to online fraud and lose their money. He also emphasised the need for awareness, caution and timely reporting of suspicious activities to the police.
The programme was attended by police personnel, religious sisters and parishioners. The police officials present included PSI Prathibha, ASI Manohar, ASI ChandrahasSanil, Head Constable Manik Narenavar ,ASI Sudhakar Raoand police staff Sharanappa ,Suresh
Loy Rego, Head of the Commission, proposed the vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to the police officials, parish leadership and everyone who contributed to the successful organisation of the programme.
The programme concluded with tea and snacks served to the guests and participants.