#StayAwareStaySafe Archives - Akancha Srivastava Foundation

Instagram DMs Are Not Encrypted! #ASF

Akancha Srivastava — Wed, 27 May 2026 07:40:40 +0000

Did you know that Instagram has ended its encryption of the DMS?

News link for reference: Meta Help Center confirms that end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram is no longer supported from May 8, 2026. Khaleej Times also reported that Instagram has removed end-to-end encryption for direct messaging. – https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/tech/meta-instagram-end-to-end-encryption-removed

Most of us treat private messages as safe spaces. We send photos, documents, addresses, school details, personal updates, emotional conversations, financial information, travel plans, screenshots, and sometimes even voice notes without thinking twice.

But Instagram has discontinued end-to-end encrypted messaging for Direct Messages from May 8, 2026. This means users must become far more careful about what they share inside Instagram DMs. A private chat is not automatically a protected space. Meta’s Help Center confirms that end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram is no longer supported from this date.

This matters because misuse does not always begin with hacking. Sometimes it begins with oversharing. A private photo can be saved. A personal document can be forwarded. A sensitive conversation can be screenshotted. A child can be manipulated into moving from comments to DMs. An account can be compromised, and years of personal messages can suddenly become a risk.

For children and teenagers, this risk is even higher. Many of them do not understand the difference between a public comment, a private message, a disappearing message, and a truly secure conversation. They may trust a gaming friend, a fan page, a classmate, an unknown follower, or someone pretending to be their age. One careless message can expose their identity, location, school, daily routine, family details, or private pictures.

Adults are also vulnerable. Many people send copies of IDs, bank details, business information, confidential screenshots, personal disputes, medical documents, and emotional conversations on social media DMs because it feels quick and convenient. Convenience cannot be the standard for digital safety. Sensitive information must never be shared casually just because a chat window feels familiar.

Please do not share Aadhaar, PAN, passport details, bank information, passwords, OTPs, school IDs, home addresses, travel plans, private photos, or deeply personal conversations through Instagram DMs.

Parents must explain this clearly to children. Private messaging is not a place for secrets with strangers. It is not a place to send personal pictures. It is not a place to continue conversations with unknown profiles, gaming friends, fake fan pages, or accounts that create emotional pressure.

Go through your old chats. Delete sensitive information where possible. Turn on two-factor authentication. Use strong passwords. Check login alerts. Teach children to take screenshots and report immediately if someone makes them uncomfortable.

Every digital space demands caution. Before you send anything online, ask yourself one simple question: can this harm me or my child if it is saved, forwarded, or exposed?

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Stay Aware, Stay Safe!
Jai Hind!

CONTACT US:

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ABOUT ‘AKANCHA SRIVASTAVA FOUNDATION’

The Akancha Srivastava Foundation is India’s leading social impact initiative dedicated to advancing cyber safety awareness and education. Established in February 2017, this not-for-profit Section 8 organization is a trusted voice in promoting safe online practices across the nation.

Distinguished Board of Advisors
Guided by an honorary advisory board of esteemed leaders:

Former Special DGP RK Vij (Chhattisgarh Police)
ADG Navniet Sekera (Uttar Pradesh Police)
ADG Krishna Prakash (Maharashtra Police)
Dr. Poonam Verma (Principal, SSCBS, Delhi University)

Our Mission

The Foundation is committed to educating, empowering, and building bridges between the public and authorities on critical cyber safety issues. Additionally, we specialize in forensics training for law enforcement, equipping them with the skills needed to tackle cybercrime effectively.

The post Instagram DMs Are Not Encrypted! #ASF appeared first on Akancha Srivastava Foundation.

Nine Years of the Akancha Srivastava Foundation

Akancha Srivastava — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:32:08 +0000

A Journey of Trust, Service, and Cyber Safety

Nine years ago, the Akancha Srivastava Foundation began with a clear purpose: to make cyber safety education accessible, practical, and people-focused. What started as a mission to create awareness has grown into one of India’s largest social impact initiatives dedicated to cyber safety, prevention, victim support, and responsible digital behaviour.

This journey has been built with people, for people, and because of people.

Over the past nine years, we have travelled across India, worked with schools, colleges, parents, students, communities, government institutions, law enforcement agencies, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, educators, and citizens from different walks of life. Every workshop, every conversation, every call for help, and every moment of trust has shaped the work of the Foundation.

Our deepest gratitude goes to the victims and families who trusted us during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Many came to us with fear, confusion, shame, trauma, financial loss, online abuse, blackmail, harassment, identity misuse, fraud, and deep emotional distress. They believed that we would listen without judgment, guide them responsibly, and help them understand what could be done next. Their courage strengthened our resolve. Their trust reminded us why prevention, early reporting, evidence preservation, and compassionate victim support must remain central to cyber safety.

We thank every child who raised a hand during a workshop and asked a question that many adults were afraid to ask. We thank every parent who stayed back after a session to discuss a concern about their child’s online life. We thank every teacher who understood that cyber safety is now part of student wellbeing. We also carry with deep gratitude the love we have received from children, educators, and elderly citizens across India. Their warmth, trust, questions, and blessings have made this journey deeply meaningful for us.

We are deeply grateful to the Indian Police across states who welcomed us with openness, respect, and a shared commitment to public safety. Their willingness to engage, exchange knowledge, invite us to their regions, and collaborate on cybercrime prevention gave us a rare and powerful understanding of India’s digital realities. Through these engagements, we saw the diversity of India up close: different languages, different social contexts, different crime patterns, different vulnerabilities, and different levels of digital exposure. Each region taught us something valuable. Each interaction made our work sharper, more grounded, and more useful.

Our work with police personnel, IPS officers, enforcement teams, and institutions has been one of the strongest pillars of this journey. We have had the privilege of sharing knowledge, learning from field realities, understanding emerging crime patterns, and contributing to a prevention-led approach to cyber safety. These experiences helped us grow from an awareness initiative into a structured public safety movement.

The Akancha Srivastava Foundation has conducted more than 2,000 workshops, reached more than 515 million people digitally, collaborated with over 100 IPS officers, worked across 42 cities, and built an AI-enabled cyber safety chat helpline to support citizens seeking guidance. This support has now moved to email. These numbers matter because each number represents a person, a family, a school, a workplace, a police team, or a community that chose to engage with cyber safety before harm became irreversible.

Cybercrime has changed dramatically over the last nine years. Online abuse, grooming, financial fraud, impersonation, cyberbullying, sextortion, identity theft, misinformation, image misuse, screen-sharing scams, OTP fraud, gaming-related exploitation, and social engineering have become part of everyday digital risk. Technology has become deeply embedded in how people study, work, bank, communicate, build relationships, and access services. This makes cyber safety a public safety discipline, a life skill, and an institutional responsibility.

The Foundation’s approach has always been rooted in prevention. We believe people must be equipped before they are harmed. Children must understand boundaries, privacy, reporting, and safe online behaviour early. Parents must know how to respond without panic or blame. Teachers must be able to identify red flags. Organizations must train employees against social engineering and digital fraud. Citizens must know how to preserve evidence, report incidents, and seek timely help.

We are also grateful to the organizations that invited us into their ecosystems and recognised the value of cyber safety as a core institutional priority. Their praise for our work in strengthening employee awareness, reporting discipline, fraud prevention, and internal preparedness has reinforced our belief that cyber safety is now essential to organizational resilience and trust.

Our journey has also been shaped by the belief that cyber safety cannot remain restricted to technical experts. It must reach classrooms, homes, police stations, workplaces, communities, and public platforms. It must be explained in language people understand. It must be practical, accessible, and rooted in real cases. It must respect the emotional burden carried by victims. It must help people act with clarity.

Over nine years, we have learned that awareness is strongest when it is delivered with empathy and responsibility. A victim of cybercrime needs guidance, not blame. A child facing online abuse needs safety, not shame. A parent facing digital confusion needs clarity, not fear. A police team handling complex cyber complaints needs continuous knowledge exchange. An organization facing digital risk needs behavioural preparedness, not superficial compliance.

We thank our advisors, mentors, partners, volunteers, educators, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, government agencies, students, parents, institutions, and every supporter who helped us build this movement. We thank everyone who opened doors for us, invited us to speak, connected us with communities, shared our resources, amplified our campaigns, and believed that cyber safety deserves urgent national attention.

Nine years have given us scale, experience, credibility, and responsibility. They have also given us humility. India’s digital landscape is vast, complex, and constantly evolving. Every new platform, every new fraud pattern, every new form of online harm reminds us that our work must continue with discipline, compassion, and focus.

As we complete nine years of the Akancha Srivastava Foundation, we carry forward the same purpose with deeper conviction. We remain committed to protecting children, supporting victims, strengthening institutions, working with law enforcement, empowering citizens, and making cyber safety a culture of prevention.

Thank you for being part of our journey.

Thank you for trusting us.

Thank you for helping us build a safer digital world.

Stay Aware, Stay Safe. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat

The post Nine Years of the Akancha Srivastava Foundation appeared first on Akancha Srivastava Foundation.

Credit Card Scams Exposed!

Akancha Srivastava — Thu, 15 May 2025 05:35:17 +0000

Credit Card Scams Exposed!

Credit Card Application Scams: How Scammers Are Draining Your Money

Did you know that people are losing money while applying for credit cards? Scammers have found a new way to exploit your financial needs, and today, I’m breaking it all down for you.

How This Scam Works:

🔹 Fake Credit Card Application Scams
Scammers pose as bank representatives or agents, offering exclusive, high-limit, or pre-approved credit cards. They reach out via calls, emails, or even social media ads, making their offer sound too good to refuse.

🔹 Upfront Payment Fraud
Victims are asked to pay processing fees, verification charges, or security deposits to “fast-track” approval. Once you make the payment, the scammer vanishes—no card, no refund, nothing!

🔹 Phishing & Data Theft
Fraudsters set up fake bank websites that look just like real bank portals to steal your personal details, banking credentials, and OTPs. Before you know it, they’ve taken loans in your name or made unauthorized transactions.

🔹 Misuse of KYC Documents
If you submit Aadhaar, PAN, or other documents, scammers may use them to open fraudulent bank accounts, apply for loans, or even commit financial crimes, leaving you to deal with the consequences.

How to Protect Yourself:

✔ Never pay upfront fees—legitimate banks do not charge for credit card approvals.
✔ Verify directly with the bank—if someone calls, always cross-check with official channels.
✔ Check the official website—look for secure “https” links and verify the domain name.
✔ Never share OTPs, passwords, or personal details over calls or emails.

✔ Never trust an overeager telecaller offering you a ‘too good to be true’ card—legit banks don’t push sales aggressively.
✔ Report fraud immediately to your bank and cybercrime authorities.

🚨 Scammers are preying on people’s financial needs. Don’t fall for it!

✔ Report fraud immediately to your bank and cybercrime authorities.