Last week certain elements of the Cybercrime Act came into effect when President Cyril Ramaphosa signed it into law.
While the full might of the Act is not yet in effect, there are certain powers granted to the likes of the South African Police Service as regards cybercrime and investigations about cybercrime.
Of course, before a cybercrime can be investigated it needs to be reported and for many South Africans, how one does this isn’t exactly clear.
As move into the festive season, opportunists are ready to take advantage of the relaxation the season brings and South Africans could fall prey to cybercriminals over the next month.
Assuming the worst case scenario, what should you do?
According to the Internet Service Providers’ Association the first thing you should do is draft an affidavit. In this affidavit include as much information as possible including – where possible – the name of the person who committed the crime. Be clear and describe the events as you witnessed them being careful to avoid speculation and what you think happened. Stick to the facts and events as they happened.
“Include a clear statement that you require the matter to be investigated further,” says ISPA.
This is important, especially when it comes to the next step, reporting the incident at your local police station. Take along your affidavit and file a report at the police station. Insure that you receive a CAS number as well as the details of the duty detective so that you can follow up. It is vital to request that your case be referred to the cybercrime division.
Once you’ve reported the incident at the police station we also recommend alerting the Cybersecurity Hub. You should also contact the Cybersecurity Hub should you suspect any scams or fraudulent activities are taking place online.
Contact details for the Cybersecurity Hub as well as its PGP keys for more secure email can be found here.
Traditionally cybercriminals ramp up their efforts over the December period so it’s important to vigilant during this time.
Be wary of emails claiming to come from big name brands, don’t click links you don’t know the destination of and double check URLs before you input your log in information.
Stay safe and be vigilant out there this festive season folks. Cybercriminals are constantly dreaming up new scams and ways to get you to hand over your personal information.
[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]
