KUALA LUMPUR: ‘Greed’ is one of the main causes for people falling prey to cyber crimes despite extensive exposure of its dangers by authorities and cautionary tales from cheated victims.
Crime Analyst Datuk Akhbar Satar said the frequent media reports on such crimes should serve as a lesson to the society and deter them from being tempted by these scams.
“Cyber crimes always involve quick profits and that is why greedy people fall prey to it,” he told Bernama.
He said people should be more careful and not be taken in by all internet promotions hook, line and sinker.
“Cyber crimes always start with an internet promotion or special offer. Not all such offers are false but we must do some background checking before getting into business transactions with strangers on the internet,” he said.
Social Development, Crime Prevention and Anti-Narcotics Volunteer Association president R Jeevan said people should educate themselves on par with current technology to prevent being deceived.
“People don’t have to know everything but at least be knowledgeable enough to protect themselves from being cheated,” he said.
He said conmen were taking advantage of those unfamiliar with the current fast-paced multimedia technology.
“Now most transactions are conducted online using the computer. So people need to be cautious and guard their personal data, especially when it comes to online banking,” he said.
Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had earlier advised people to keep up with current developments and be alert to the latest cyber scams.
“It’s worthwhile to follow current developments related to these cyber scams. Be cautious, especially with banking and credit card details,” he said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman Commercial CID director Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan was quoted as stating that cyber crime offenders found their victims through e-mails or sms using computers and mobile phones. — Bernama