At CP meet with senior citizens, focus on fin frauds, ‘digi-arrest’

Kolkata: Commissioner of Kolkata Police Supratim Sarkar said four out of five cases of cybercrimes in which the victims faced high losses, involved senior citizens.Sarkar addressed several senior citizens, all residents of Beleghata-Kankurgachhi-Tangra, at Subhas Sarobar on Saturday in an interaction, involving Pronam members.
He said to tackle the same mere advisories or lectures were not enough; rather, conversations between the same age groups, help from police officers 24x7, and understanding the modus operandi through examples would go a long way in educating seniors on the perils of cybercrime. Sarkar said digital arrest frauds were regularly reported, but there was no basis for them. "Remember that there might be calls to threaten you to pay money. Do not believe them. No legal notices are ever sent on WhatsApp," the CP reiterated after identifying digital arrest frauds as one of the biggest challenges to the cyber security of senior citizens. "There sometimes remains a distance between police and the common man, sometimes on unfounded things too, but that is a fact of life. But if we keep interacting, we can shorten the distance that separates us," said Sarkar. The CP said interactions were also necessary to ensure seniors forced to live alone did not suffer from boredom. "Many of you have your children living outside. My parents stayed alone, but I do know that speaking to people from the same generation, even on WhatsApp, always helps. There are so many dos and don'ts for seniors and their security. But then discussions are what stay with you, not lectures," said Sarkar, promising that in case of any doubt, every citizen must call the police instead of believing strangers.The police hinted that they would go beyond Pronam members and reach out to all senior citizens to address the vulnerability of senior citizens, who faced harassment and financial exploitation at the hands of close family members, including children and relatives. Most recently, cases were registered at Watgunge and Garfa by senior citizens alleging physical harassment by their son and daughter-in-law.A senior officer from the Kolkata Police stated, "This initiative reaffirms our commitment to support our elders and ensure they remain informed and empowered. They should not feel disposable at the whims of others." To this end, the police developed a set of guidelines for senior citizens, and said they would distribute cybercrime newsletters, urging them to reach out to law enforcement without hesitation whenever they felt threatened or vulnerable.