E-theft victims lost KD 50m in last 15 months – 20,000 Kuwaitis, expats suffer losses

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KUWAIT CITY, March 30: The victims of electronic robbery crimes in the country lost about KD50 million in the last 15 months — KD38 million in 2022 and KD12 million from the beginning of 2023 until Monday, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting a reliable security source. The source told the daily that about 20,000 citizens and expatriates have fallen victim to cyber crime gangs over the past 15 months, indicating that majority of the victims are elderly and those who lack experience in modern technology.

The source stressed the need to be armed with informational and technological awareness in order to avoid falling into the trap of cyber robbery gangs, which have become a threat to the security of individuals and institutions. He pointed out the Cybercrime Department faces a major challenge in raising awareness to protect privacy, especially after the spread of artificial intelligence applications in this field. He explained that cybercrime aims to harm electronic infrastructure by disrupting digital systems or stealing data of public and private institutions. He said people’s data can be obtained easily now due to the presence of social networking sites. He underscored the importance of strengthening cybersecurity in government and private institutions, unifying efforts, raising public awareness, and developing information security techniques and systems to address cybercrimes and raise safety indicators in various fields and levels.

The source confirmed that majority of cybercrime victims are elderly, as this age group has no sufficient experience with technology to confront the professional methods used globally in electronic fraud, especially since WhatsApp messages and anonymous calls are the most common means for fraudsters to seize the funds of this category.

The source also warned about the danger of downloading applications, which give remote access to smart phones without knowing how to use them, as misusing them enables anyone to have full access to the content of the mobile phone remotely.

Consequently, the Ministry of Interior warned citizens and expatriates about fraudulent operations that surfaced recently; carried out by some weak-minded people from outside Kuwait who impersonate police officers while using telephone numbers and electronic communication apps.

In a press statement, the ministry advised the public to be wary of such gangs; reiterating that any official authority in the country — whether banks or security agencies — does not require citizens or expatriates to provide bank data that are considered the property of the customers and may not be disclosed to any party. Also, the source warned of fraud and swindling by impersonating K-Net Company, stressing the need to verify each link before paying, and the need to distinguish between a trusted link and a fake link.

This news has been read 35998 times!

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