Elderly residents targeted in cybercrime focus of Honeydew CPF campaign
Practical guidance was shared with senior residents, focusing on recognising scams, protecting finances, and understanding common tactics used by criminals operating both online and offline.
The Honeydew Community Police Forum (CPF), in partnership with the Honeydew police and private security companies, hosted an elderly fraud awareness campaign on Tuesday, January 20, as another step to combat crime in communities.
According to the Honeydew CPF sector executive chairperson, Jon Rosenberg, the forum found it important to address ongoing cybercrime scandals in and around the community.
“These types of talks are informative, and make residents aware of what’s happening out there and try not to be victims of them.”
Warrant Officer August from Honeydew Police Station delivered an interim report on cybercrime cases reported to the police. August shared strategies on how to combat and avoid being scammed.
“Cybercrime victims are mostly elderly people because fraudsters know that people are likely to fall for these scams,” said August.
“Criminals know elderly people likely have retirement payouts,” she added.
August outlined the most reported cybercrime scams, which include banking, social media markets, family, and online dating.
Residents share their experiences on scams, the CPF provide that time to allow resident share their testimonies so that others can learn from them.
Honeydew CPF continues to fight crime through awareness campaigns around the community. Rosenberg told the Roodepoort Northsider that there will be more talks in other parts of the Honeydew precinct, and the dates and venues will be made public.
