Kerala Minister V Sivankutty Lodges Complaint over Bogus Education Department Website, Seeks Inquiry

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Monday confirmed that his office has formally filed a complaint with the state's Director General of Police (DGP) regarding a report of a fake website that was allegedly impersonating the Department of General Education. The website allegedly used the name of the department to provide educational services, providing serious reasons to suspect fraud and cheating the public.

The problem was revealed following a news item in one of the local dailies on Monday. The report held a replica website to have been set up in the name of the Kerala Board of Public Examinations. The website was said to be carrying out services relating to the SSLC and Plus Two courses, for example, conducting examinations—activities squarely within the domain of the official education authorities.

Acting with alacrity, the office of Minister Sivankutty submitted a written complaint to the DGP and requested a detailed inquiry into the incident. The minister has also requested due legal action against perpetrators who designed and operated the phony website.

"Having such a website not only misleads students and parents but also harms the reputation of the state's education system," was the minister's statement. Sivankutty emphasized conducting a proper investigation to find the perpetrators of the operation and ensuring that something like this does not happen again in the future.

Till date, more information on the investigation progress is pending. The state police will have to determine the reach of the operations of the fake website, for instance, whether or not there was any monetary transaction, admissions or the issue of certificates through the website.

Cyber security experts have long cautioned against the development of replica portals mimicking government websites, generally to trick innocent citizens. This incident has again brought into focus the importance of increased awareness and online literacy among citizens.

Simultaneously, the education authorities also asked students, parents, and the general public to visit only official government websites and make sure that any online learning platform is genuine before using it. The Department of General Education also plans to issue an advisory in the near future to caution the citizens against falling victim to the same.