Boschkop police warn cybercrimes are on the rise
Sergeant Yeroboam Mbatsane, Boschkop SAPS communications officer, said February showed a significant surge in this crime.
Cybercrime is one of the fastest growing crimes and, according to Sergeant Yeroboam Mbatsane, Boschkop SAPS communications officer, this is also the case locally.
“Over the last year, there has been an increase in these crimes, with a significant surge during February,” said Mbatsane.
He said criminals are hacking cellphones to access personal information and in many cases; they take money from bank accounts.
They trick unsuspecting victims into believing they have won an online lottery or have unclaimed benefits.
According to the South African Police Service website, they divided cybercrimes into three areas:
• Attacks against computer hardware and software, for example, botnets, malware and network intrusion.
• Financial crimes and corruption, such as online fraud, penetration of online financial services and phishing.
• Abuse in the form of grooming or ‘sexploitation’, especially crimes against children. The policing and conviction rate of these criminal activities remains low due to criminals exploiting the anonymity, convenience and speed of the internet, which has no borders physically or virtually. Currently, eight Boschkop police officers are getting the necessary training, but criminals keep on upping their game.
The best prevention remains working with the community because prevention is better than cure. The best way to avoid becoming a victim, said Mbatsane, is to not respond to suspicious emails asking you to deposit money into an account or anything that sounds too good to be true.
“Get proper verification at all times and don’t be tempted to gain where one did not invest. Things like inheritance or gambling money wins are red flags,” warned Mbatsane.
SAPS tops 10 cybercrime prevention tips:
• Use strong passwords
• Secure your computer (activate your firewall, use antivirus/malware software, to block spyware attacks)
• Be social media savvy
• Secure your mobile devices
• Install the latest operating system updates
• Protect your data
• Secure your wireless network
• Protect your e-identity
• Avoid being scammed
• Call the right person for help.
Mbatsane advised that should you think you have become a cybercrime victim to immediately report it to your nearest police station.
