Odisha government urges banks to join hands against rising cyber fraud
Bhubaneswar, Sep 8: The Odisha government has called on banks to step up and fully support police efforts to fight the growing problem of cyber fraud in the state. This appeal came during a key meeting on Monday, where officials stressed the need for quick action to protect people from online scams.
The 34th State Level Co-ordination Committee (SLCC) meeting happened at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office in Bhubaneswar. Bankers got clear advice to work closely with law enforcement agencies to crack down on cyber fraud, as per an official statement.
Odisha’s Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania highlighted the top types of cyber fraud hitting the state. These include investment and trading scams, digital arrest tricks, fake job offers and work-from-home schemes, bogus websites for hotel bookings, and social media frauds. He warned that these scams are a big threat to public safety and urged banks to act fast.
A major focus was on mule accounts – fake bank accounts used by fraudsters to launder money. DGP Khurania said these are the backbone of cyber fraud operations, and banks must tighten rules to stop people from opening them easily.
Puspamitra Sahu, Chief General Manager at RBI’s Mumbai office, joined the meeting and shared how RBI is tackling cyber fraud and mule accounts head-on. RBI is boosting its rules and oversight, teaming up with police, and running awareness drives to teach safe banking and fraud prevention.
The discussion also covered other hot topics like the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Act 2019, complaints against unregistered groups and cooperative societies, and tips from market intelligence. Development Commissioner Anu Garg, who led the meeting, pushed for big awareness campaigns using social media, online ads, and more. The goal? To help people spot and avoid Ponzi schemes run by shady operators.
Senior officials from Odisha Police, plus departments like Finance, Revenue and Disaster Management, Cooperation, and Law, along with SEBI reps, all took part in the meeting. This united front shows Odisha is serious about curbing cyber fraud and keeping citizens safe from online threats.
