Useful Information

USEFUL INFORMATION TO PREVENT CYBERCRIMES

1. Cybercrime is a punishable offence in Cameroon. Together let’s bar the way!
2. In a bid to avoid falling prey to Mobile Money scams, always call the person to whom you intend to send money before carrying out the transaction.
3. In a bid to avoid unauthorized withdrawals from your Mobile Money account, always endeavor to confirm the name of the mobile money service vendor in front of you, before validating any withdrawal.
4. In the event where you receive a command prompt requesting validation for withdrawals from unknown sources, it is advisable to simply switch off the phone and restart it afterwards. You can call toll-free number 8787 to get assistance.
5. Beware of messages that request personal information (name, bank details, phone number ect) and money with claims about potential job offer. It is one of the techniques used by scammers to swindle money from victims.
6. Do not rush to provide your Mobile Money PIN or bank details with hope of receiving a prize from an unknown person who claims that you are the winner of a mega lottery you never played. It is a scamming technique. Mobile Money service providers and banks will never request client’s PIN.
7. Operators don’t send Mobile Money messages using ordinary numbers. The operator’s name always features in the place of the sender’s number. Beware of messages you receive from ordinary phone numbers!
8. In a bid to prevent your social media accounts from being hacked, create strong and different passwords for various accounts. A strong password is at least 8-characters long, consisting numbers, lowercase, uppercase and special characters. Example: *Lv@487M
9. Never disclose your password to anyone since third parties can use it to access your email, Facebook or Instagram accounts and publish illicit content on your behalf.
10. Never give out your personal information to unknown persons met online. Personal information include name, phone number, home address, bankcard number etc. This information can be exploited by sex predators, assassins, or thieves to harm you.
11. In a bid to prevent your terminals (smartphone, tablets, computers) from viral attacks, endeavors to delete without opening or clicking on unsolicited links or mail.
12. You are liable for all your online publications. You can be prosecuted in the event you commit a cybercrime irrespective of whether you use real or pseudo names. There is no anonymity on the internet.
13. On social media, trust only information published on official and verified pages. A verified Facebook page or Twitter handle is marked by a blue badge next to the right of the page or handle name. The sharing of fake news is a punishable offence in Cameroon.
14. Do not rush to disseminate information you receive or do anything that endorses its veracity without due verification of authenticity and source. The sharing of fake news is a punishable offence in Cameroon.
15. In a bid to avoid accessing fake websites, endeavor to always verify that the URLs of the websites you visit start with “https” and not “http. The “s” indicates that the website is secured.
16. Social Media is an open space accessible to everyone. Remember to read and configure « security and confidentiality » settings of the social media you use in a bid to control who can access your publications.

Denounce cases via the toll-free number 8202 or e-mail:  alert@cirt.antic.cm, open 24/24

Source: ANTIC