Volunteer Profile: Andreea Andrasiu

Andreea was one of the first ever volunteers at The Cyber Helpline, joining in March 2018. Since then she has supported us with a really wide range of projects as we have been building our service and supporting victims.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Andreea, I've been in the UK for close to 4 years now and I am passionate about technology and how it can help us better our lives. Since I've moved to London I've been in a constant honeymoon phase and I don't see this changing anytime soon. During the daytime, I'm a corporate superhero. During the evening, I try to give back and get involved and support various causes close to my heart.

Why did you decide to join The Cyber Helpline?

The more technology becomes an integral part of our day to day lives and activities, the more we need to make sure that we are in control of it, and we are able to trust it with our habits, activities, likes and dislikes, the way we interact with others and our data in general. And technology might not be everybody's cup of tea and it can seem overwhelming to some, particularly as it is constantly changing and evolving with a phenomenal speed.

I joined The Cyber Helpline after a close family member (my Nan) almost got scammed through a form of vishing (I didn't know it was actually called vishing at that time). And I was so annoyed and outraged... The idea that others might be victim of such practices made me want to do something about it. So I basically joined because I know not all Nans have grandkids to help them out in situations like that. And The Cyber Helpline is doing great work in this area: helping people, irrespective of how comfortable they are with technology, when they are targeted or have been victims of cyber crimes.

What is your role at The Cyber Helpline?

I’m a Volunteer Good Doer. Because I have a background in business transformation and compliance, I use my corporate acquired superpowers to help out with research, business processes, playbooks, policies, test scripts for the chatbot; quite a diverse range of activities.

What do you like about volunteering with us?

I like what The Cyber Helpline is doing in the space of victims of cyber crime and that it is building a relationship with Government entities as well. The way they look at cyber security and cyber-advice is not only from the perspective of the victim but also from the perspective of the Government; a holistic view of the role of cyber security in society. I also like the flexibility behind how I can contribute. Also, the fact that they use emerging tech for their activities is a big plus.