Caution against Ed-tech companies

 

 

-Subrat Tarenia

 

The Ministry of Education released an advisory cautioning parents about Ed-tech companies offering free online courses to students. A thorough evaluation should be done by the parents and students before opting for any free online courses that are promised by some fraudulent companies. Apparently, these  ed-tech companies are luring parents and getting the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) mandate signed .They are also activating the Auto-debit feature, especially targeting the vulnerable families.

 

How Parents and Students can Avoid Getting Duped in the Name of Free Online Courses

 

• Students & parents have been asked to do a background check, read through the reviews and ensure that no financial transactions take place without their consent.
• Avoid installing any mobile ed-tech applications without verifying the authenticity.
• Avoid credit or debit cards registration on apps for subscriptions.
• Avoid sharing personal information like emails, contact numbers, card details ,bank account,OTP or addresses online.
• Students have also been encouraged to access free e-learning services being provided by the Ministry of Education such as Diksha, Swayam, and NIOS.

 

Fake online courses and any cyber fraud related to these ed-tech companies much be immediately reported in the below links :

 

https://ascionline.in/

https://consumerhelpline.gov.in/

https://pgportal.gov.in/