tgthr. drives NPCI and Times of India’s ‘anti-scam shala campaign’ at Maha Kumbh

The Maha Kumbh went down as the world’s largest gathering with more than 65 crore devotees in attendance. But the massive congregation also presented a unique opportunity to educate people on scams and drive widespread awareness.

NPCI and Times of India’s Anti-Scamshala campaign brought the #ConmanVsCommonMan initiative to life by transforming its comic strips into educational newspaper bags of various sizes and languages. These were distributed to vendors who already used newspaper bags, making every purchase an opportunity to educate people while also supporting sustainability.

Whether someone is buying a packet of agarbattis or a piece of clothing, every purchase came with a unique scam featuring #ConmanVsCommonMan, making them aware about the latest scam and helping people stay safe while going about their day. With TOI’s extensive reach, the campaign ensured that scam awareness messages were accessible to millions in their preferred language.

Even though #ConmanVsCommonMan has been educating people fortnightly through comics published in seven newspapers, NPCI and TOI aimed to amplify this initiative, on ground, with an objective to raise further awareness about digital payment fraud and instilling greater confidence in UPI transactions across India. 

Aalap Desai, CCO & Co-Founder, tgthr., said, “Newspaper bags are commonplace in India and quintessentially Indian. They are used everywhere, every single day, and their usage has increased significantly since the plastic ban in India and during the Maha Kumbh. While the Maha Kumbh is primarily about the holy dip in the Ganges, a lot happens around it—daily shopping for items ranging from incense sticks, flowers, and diyas to bangles and everyday essentials like soap and cream. One thing common in all these transactions is the newspaper bag, which is handed to the customer just before they make the payment. So, we thought of leveraging this common yet unique touchpoint and turning it into a learning opportunity. This idea gave birth to the Anti-Scam Shala.”

“Maha Kumbh, the largest congregation of humanity, saw 65 crore people come together, making it an ideal platform to emphasise the safety of digital transactions. The Times of India’s iconic ‘Common Man’ became a symbol of vigilance through the Anti Scam Shala campaign. Paper carry bags with the digital safety message were placed at all points of sale, and millions of devotees were exposed to the digital safety message each time they purchased their puja wares at the Maha Kumbh, thereby reinforcing trust in UPI and digital payments and empowering millions to transact safely at Kumbh.

The Anti Scam Shala initiative reinforces our commitment towards promoting digital payments and their safety. TOI is extremely proud of this partnership with NPCI and tgthr. and is committed to the adoption of digital transactions in a safe environment," said Sameer Sainani, President of Optimal Media Solutions.