By D. I.
Laary, GNA
Wa, Oct. 11, GNA – The National Cyber Security
Centre under the Ministry of Communications on Wednesday organised a training
on cyber-crime prevention and protection for more than 500 Senior High School
(SHS) students in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital.
The training is part of the national cyber
security awareness campaign launched early this month by government to ensure
adequate protection of Ghanaian children and institutions from cybercrime
attacks.
The nationwide workshop would also cover law
enforcement agencies including the Bureau of National Investigations, National
Security and Police Service among others.
The students chosen from Wa Technical
Institute, Wa SHS and Wa Senior High Technical were taken through various
cybercrime topics such as child online protection, risks children face using
the internet and how to stay saver using the internet.
Dr Gustav Herbert Yankson, the Head of
Cybercrime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police
Service, said the training had become necessary following increasing trends in
cybercrime mostly involving children.
He said about $90,000 (about GH¢450,000.00)
was lost through mobile money, while Ghana lost $97 million as a result of
cybercrime activities as at August this year.
Dr Yankson said the future of many cybercrime
victims had been jeopardised as several marriages have been reported collapsed
and people being blackmailed.
“Our future is at stake, our marriages are at
stake, let’s be weary of the crime and protect ourselves”, he said.
The government has declared October 2018 as
cyber security awareness month to educate agencies and students on cybercrime
and how to shield themselves from cyber threats and attacks.
Mr. Philip Danquah Debrah, Business Operations
Manager at e-Crime Bureau, noted that cybercrime has become more complex
following continuous evolution of new and sophisticated technologies.
He said introduction of social media platforms
like Facebook, twitter and Instagram among others expose unsuspicious persons
mostly children to indecent acts like pornography and fake business deals.
He said many people who fell victims to cyber
threats and attacks have little or no knowledge about the dangers, and
therefore: “There is the need to come to the realisation of the risks to be
able to face the threats”.
The students were advised to avoid predators
by using standardised passwords that contained both numbers and alphabets,
avoid sharing nude pictures and restrain themselves from being reactive on
social media platforms.
“Know the people you chat with, you have to
use the internet responsibly, don’t post nude pictures of yourselves, don’t
share personal information with people you don’t know or uncomfortable with,”
Mr Debrah said.
He warned that one could be blackmailed, defrauded
or even be kidnapped via the internet if not used with caution and
circumspection, and encouraged students to use internet for research and
studies.
GNA