• A student hacking into the school database to see the marks allotted to him or her before the results are published might only invite action from the school. But if the student alters the marks awarded to any student, it becomes a crime and can result in a police investigation.
• A group of schoolgirls went for an excursion and one of the girls shot some compromising pictures of a friend on her phone in jest and forgot about it. The phone developed some problems and had to be sent to a local repair shop. The owner of the shop found the video and circulated it. The girl whose video went viral attempted suicide.

An officer of Kolkata Police addressed adolescent boys at St Xavier’s Collegiate School on the dangers of cyberspace, which can make them both a victim and a perpetrator.

The officers cited examples, some of which were real and the others fictitious, while addressing an audience with 24X7 access to devices.

They may be technologically savvy but often do not have the maturity to understand the consequences of their online actions, said a teacher.

The session was attended by 200-odd students of Class IX.

“Awareness about cyber or digital crime will help you as well as your family and friends,” said Amit Chatterjee, the officer-in-charge of Uttar Kashipur police station in Bhangar.

“Adolescents are open to experimentation and hence they must be aware. While criminals have to be nabbed, we have to simultaneously make you all aware to reduce such crimes.”

Chatterjee said a cyber crime often involves “threat” or “allurement” to trap a prospective victim.

He shared examples of callers feigning as bank officials and asking people to share their KYC (know your customer) details. There are other examples where callers try to lure people by promising lakhs of money for which they would have to send some money first, click a link or share an OTP (one-time password).

Chatterjee asked the students to use passwords that are hard to guess. “One should not choose birth dates or names of pets as passwords because hackers can easily guess them,” Chatterjee said.

Online shopping should be done from secured sites, he said.

A victim of online fraud may need to get his or her debit or credit card blocked immediately. So, Chatterjee said, everyone should have the bank’s number saved on the phone.

“This is important not just for you but your parents, too. If someone loses a card and tries to search the internet for a number to call, most of the results would be linked to fake pages created by cyber criminals,” said Chatterjee.

“If one calls any such number, a swindler will probably answer and ask for private and personal information, like the security number of the card. They may ask you to download a link and fill out a form. Once that is done, an OTP will come and the caller will ask you to share it,” he said.

“Once the OTP is shared, the swindler will gain access to your phone. The caller will ask you to open your bank account and he will get all information about your bank (since he has access to the device),” he said.

St Xavier’s Collegiate School is organising a series of workshops on cyber safety for students in senior classes.

Ignorance can no longer be an excuse for vulnerability, said Father Roshan Tirkey, principal, St Xavier’s Collegiate School.

“They might become victims or even perpetrators unknowingly, sometimes because of peer pressure. We have to make them aware of the dangers and the rules they need to be aware of and follow to be safe online,” said Father Tirkey.

“The children in the age group of 13 to 16 are secretive and they may hide from their parents or teachers if they face anything on the internet. Hence, information and awareness both are important.”