Three incidents of fraudsters posing as police officers and attempting to extort money from parents have come to light in South Goa. But due to the alertness of parents, the attempts were foiled.
Incidents of extortion attempts from parents were reported from Lotoulim, Verna and Chinchinim with the fraudsters saying that their children were in their custody.
It is learnt that the scammers are using emotional manipulation to extort money from panicked parents. Be that as it may, it must be said that all the anxiety parents go through every day as regards to the safety of their school going children can be done away with if the child is allowed to carry a mobile phone to school.
If parents get calls from fraudsters regarding their children, they can immediately contact their child on the mobile and enquire about their safety. This would be much quicker than having to notify the teacher or office and having them enquire about the safety of their child.
Young girls, if stalked after school hours, can immediately inform their parents by making a call. Every parent’s worst nightmare is not knowing where their child is if he/she is not in the school.
Many cell phone providers now offer a tracking option that will allow one to locate the child. School authorities could make arrangements for students to switch off the mobile phones during class hours.
