Cybercrime

Do you suspect you might be a victim of Cybercrime? The term ‘Cybercrime’ is defined as any illegal activity carried out using computers or the internet. Cybercrimes can range from Identity theft to cyber-bullying, fraud to the illegal selling of services.

Becoming a victim of cybercrime is, unfortunately, very common. The appropriation of a person’s identity for example, is easy to do online and hard to verify. Likewise, offering a service while providing false information about the specifications or qualifications of the service provider, or the legal veracity of his claims, is another pitfall. Online scammers are a dime a dozen.

Before trusting your work and personal information to a tertiary service provider, make sure to verify all his claims prior to handing over any remuneration. It is hard to trace people online. Hard, but not impossible. Especially for those with the right resources.

If you are Maltese and suspect you are a victim of cybercrime, make sure to contact the Cyber Crime Unit within the Malta Police Force – https://pulizija.gov.mt/en/police-force/police-sections/Pages/Cyber-Crime-Unit.aspx

Each and every country has its own relevant Cybercrime Authority or Unit which deals with enforcing Cyber Security Laws. For example, if you are a US citizen, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at http://www.ic3.gov, and if you are a citizen of Kenya, you can talk to the Cyber Crime Unit within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and send an email to director@cid.go.ke . All the information relating to where you can find help, wherever you are, is on Google.

Ironically, the same tool which can be used to scam you – the internet – is also the tool which can help you resolve such illegalities. But then of course, tools are neither good nor bad, it is the individual who uses them for nefarious means, who is at fault.

So, inform yourself and stay sharp! Don’t let yourself be used.