In the ongoing battle against COVID 19, fraudsters have seized upon concerns over vaccine efficacy to ensnare unsuspecting individuals into divulging sensitive personal information. Recent reports from Kolkata highlight a disturbing trend where citizens have fallen prey to elaborate phone-based scams orchestrated under the guise of health department inquiries.
Operating with audacity and cunning, these scam artists adopt various tactics to deceive their victims. Some impersonate health officials, probing individuals about their vaccination status and coercing them into revealing critical details such as Aadhaar numbers and bank account information. Others employ Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS), trapping recipients in a web of deceit through automated calls that masquerade as legitimate surveys.
The consequences of these interactions extend beyond mere inconvenience. Victims recount instances where their phones inexplicably freeze, and network connections vanish, raising alarm bells about potential data breaches and cyber intrusions. While financial losses have yet to be reported, cybersecurity experts caution that these incidents serve as precursors to identity theft and sophisticated financial fraud schemes.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Kolkata Police, have issued stern warnings to the public, urging vigilance and restraint when engaging with unfamiliar callers. Authorities emphasise the importance of safeguarding personal information, including bank account details and one-time passwords (OTPs), from falling into the hands of malicious actors.
Amidst the backdrop of these fraudulent activities, experts strive to allay public concerns regarding vaccine safety. Renowned figures in the medical community, such as Professor Santanu K Tripathi, underscore the negligible risks associated with COVID 19 vaccines compared to their unparalleled benefits. Tripathi’s insights, rooted in clinical and experimental pharmacology, provide reassurance to a populace besieged by uncertainty.
Statistical data corroborates Tripathi’s assertions, revealing that out of the staggering 85 crore individuals inoculated with two doses of the Covishield vaccine, only a minuscule fraction experienced adverse reactions, including cases of thrombosis thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Despite potential underreporting and inherent challenges in data collection, the incidence of Covishield-related adverse events remains exceptionally low, affirming the vaccine’s commendable safety profile.
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