PANAJI
On Tuesday, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Sadanand Shet Tanavade raised concerns about the rising problem of spam calls, phishing scams, and data privacy breaches in Goa.
Speaking during Zero Hour Mention, Tanavade pointed out that these frauds are affecting millions across India, with Goa seeing a significant rise in such scams, putting people's savings at risk.
“Innocent people are losing their hard-earned money due to fraudulent calls and deceptive messages. Fraudsters are misusing personal data obtained illegally. I urge the government to take strict action, introduce stronger laws, and improve digital security measures to protect citizens,” he said.
He expressed serious concern, noting that fraudsters often have extensive personal information about their victims before making contact. “This raises serious questions about data privacy and the unauthorised access and sale of personal information by data brokers and telemarketers. Citizens who are not tech-savvy are at higher risk of being duped,” he added.
Tanavade’s statement comes as the Centre revealed that Goans have lost over Rs 149 crore to cyber fraud over the past four years, with the State reporting more than 1,500 such cases annually.
While only six per cent of the total lost amount has been recovered or refunded to victims so far, Rs 13.7 crore remains as a ‘line amount’—funds withheld pending investigation.
According to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Goa has reported 6,052 cyber fraud cases on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) since its launch in 2020, up to February 28 this year.
