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Do you know of someone who got locked out of their WhatsApp account mysteriously?
How about having a friend being impersonated on Facebook adding and messaging you?
Or have you received emails telling you your bank card is on hold and needs to be unlocked on a site that looks like your bank? Cyber safety is important.
Many of us know of or have experienced the many different ways cybercriminals have been trying to take from us through various cyberattacks. They often trick us into giving our personal details so that they can access our bank accounts or convince us to send them money.
I know I have been. I once sent a small amount of money to a friend I thought I was in need only to find out that his account has been hacked. Thankfully, it was a small amount of money, and I could write it off.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s been happening.
While we laugh at the memes of the obviously fake email of the Nigerian prince passing you his inheritance after his death, there are people out there falling for these scams all over the world. And in some cases, people around us have fallen for such scams, losing their savings and sometimes even their homes as a result.
The numbers are frustrating and rather shocking. All we need to do is to read CSA’s Singapore Cyber Landscape to have an idea of the rise in cyber attacks, cyber crimes and online scams in Singapore.
In 2020, reports of cybercrimes rose to 16,117, accounting for 43% of overall crime in Singapore.
This is a 70.9% increase from the year before. Online cheating reports came up to a whopping number of 12,251 compared to 7,580 the year before.
Alt image: Online Credit Card Payment
The numbers reflect only what is reported. Think about it – if you were scammed of a small amount like me, you wouldn’t report it. Many of these reported cases were probably significant and affected people’s lives. They probably lost their savings, their retirement funds, or even maxed out credit cards.
While you might think that you might not ever fall for such cybercrimes, it is important to understand the change in the cybersecurity climate and how it could affect you in the future. It could happen to you when you least expect it.
Cybersecurity threats are on the rise, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. Cybercriminals have grown increasingly sophisticated and daring in their approach as we are forced into our homes with various types of lockdowns worldwide.
From better-designed fake websites to trick you to better and more advanced software to find a way into your computer to access your passwords and accounts, cybercriminals have only been becoming more effective in finding their way to your data.
Through this Cyber Safety 101 series, Centre for Cybersecurity simplifies this complex world of cybersecurity and cyber threats to make it relevant for you here in Singapore. So why should you care? The goal here is simple, to empower you to protect yourself and the loved ones around you, to protect your money, your data and your treasured digital assets.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask us at hello@cfcsea.com, and we’ll be happy to answer you when we can. Meanwhile, enjoy our Cyber Safety 101 series created to empower you.
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