An organised-crime expert from the North West University’s Potchefstroom campus, Dr Duane Aslett, has urged internet users to be vigilant and proactive to avoid falling victim to cybercrime.
He says cybercrime has been on the increase in South Africa since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Aslett says cybercriminals have advanced their ways of scamming unsuspecting people online. These include sending unscrupulous links through emails and social media, as well as collecting personal and banking details through telephone calls.
Aslett explains, “There are stats that show that since COVID there has been a steady increase in terms of cybercrime, cyber-attacks, etc. The problem with that is that in the past, we knew exactly what a criminal looked like. If I wanted to rob someone, I had to put on a mask and go to them, catch them somewhere unaware. But what cyberspace has done is that a criminal can be anybody, anywhere in the world using a computer to further their scams.”
Expert warns of soaring cybercrime threats:
