Create adequate awareness on Cyber Crime vulnerabilities – Expert

By Fatima Anafu-Astanga, GNA 

Winkongo, Oct. 18, GNA – Dr. Herbert Gustav
Yankson, Director in charge of Cyber Crime Unit at the Criminal Investigations
Department (CID) headquarters has noted that Ghana’s vulnerabilities and lack
of awareness of risks in the internet space was worrying.

He said it was contributory to increases in
cyber fraud cases in the country and exposed Ghanaians to risks of on-line
attacks to children, increasing net predators, mobile money fraud, among
others.

To this end, the Cyber Crime expert has made a
call for adequate preparations to protect citizens on dangers of cyber fraud
threats to reduce their vulnerabilities for a safer, digital migration.

Supt. Yankson made this known on Friday in an
interview with Journalists after a Regional Cyber Security awareness programme
held for Second Cycle Schools at Bolgatanga Senior High School in Upper East
Region and organised by the National Communications Authority for Senior High
Schools.

He said government placed importance to
citizens’ protection and security in the drive to attaining a digital country,
but he noted that online and phone technologies use was abound with a lot of
opportunities and convenience for E-products.

He also alerted that cyber- crime was dynamic
and criminals were gearing themselves with sophisticated avenues to exploit the
system and stated that government was taking steps to create the needed
awareness on cyber security throughout October to inform citizens of the risks,
opportunities and to prepare people for online safety.

He said fraud alone constituted 60 per cent of
crime recorded daily and stated that  the
country lost 35 million dollars to fraud in 2016, and in 2017, an amount of $69
million was lost whilst $97 million was lost 
by August 2018.

He said the on-going Regional Cyber Security
Awareness programme would be climaxed with a week-long activities with total
participation of President Akufo-Addo who had endeared himself with challenges
of crime to drum home the need for protection of all Ghanaians.

Mr Philip Danquah Debrah, Business Operations
Manager of Cyber Security and Investigations Bureau, in an earlier presentation
on choices and online safety, urged students to be responsible in decisions
making regarding what information they gave out about themselves  and advised them  to be circumspect with chat rooms.

He said child related cyber –crime was on the
rise and to help protect children, he urged parents to keep home computers in
common areas in the home, regulate their use by monitoring what they do in
using the computers.

GNA

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