The Cape Verde Judicial Police (PJ) expressed concern on Wednesday about the “unusual” number of complaints of cyber crimes over the past three months and asked people to pay more attention to their behavior on social networks.
“We have received an unusual number of complaints, more precisely about illegal access to accounts and false profiles on social networks,” José Brito, inspector of the Central Brigade for Investigation and Combating Cybercrime and Terrorism of the Scientific Police of Cape Verde, said at a press conference in Praia.
Without specifying the number of complaints or cases being investigated, the spokesman said that in addition to the SP, complaints were being sent to the National Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and that the “significant increase” over the past three months was “very concerning.”
“This makes us think that either the population is poorly informed or the criminals are more daring,” the inspector said in statements in Creole, noting that complaints in cases of illegal access come from people from all walks of life.
In recent days, PS has published several warnings on its official pages about the risks of illegal appropriation of accounts on social networks, especially on Instagram and Facebook.
This crime opens the door to other crimes such as extortion, blackmail and invasion of privacy, PJ listed.
As for fake profiles, in recent years several national subjects have been targeted, including the President of the Republic and the First Lady or members of the government.
The National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) and other institutions have carried out several activities to raise awareness about the protection of personal data and the privacy of personal and family life in the country.
Faced with an increase in complaints, Jose Brito called on people to have a “critical spirit” and “always question” the lucrative offers of actors on social networks.
According to the SP inspector, the main problem that the institution is currently facing is the behavior of users on the Internet.
In this regard, he advised people not to use their phone to perform any transactions, not to click on any advertisements, not to visit any pages or open any links that they receive.
The same person also warned parents to be more attentive to their teenage and pre-teen children, who are on school holidays, have more free time and tend to spend more time online, which also carries more risks.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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