A software developer, Mohammed Isah, has advised firms and individuals to invest in internet security to keep hackers and scammers away from accessing vital information of individuals and organisations.
Isah, the CEO of KeyHub based in Abuja, gave the advice on Friday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said that hackers and cyber criminals were always in the lookout for new ways to make more money and they deploy different means to retrieve information.
According to him, Microsoft as an IT organisation received over 150,000 reports globally in 2017 from people who either become aware of a scam or fallen victims to it.
He explained that “there are ways cyber criminals can leverage this scam to gain access to your network or steal money or information.
“It can take the form of either an online customer support chat or phone call with the scammer while they try to convince you that there is something they can immediately do for you, thereby getting remote access to individual’s computer or device.
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“Sometimes scammers even call their victims to offer fake tech support and through this, they have access to accounts, login details and personal
details which they use or sell on to other malicious actors.
“People lose money and even personal details; open themselves up to possible identity theft. The frightening thing is that this kind of attack has
increased and is becoming more prevalent. Anyone can be a target.’’
Isah, therefore, advised people to take their time to check the website address typed before browsing, as hackers take advantage of people
mistyping legitimate website addresses.
He also advised people to keep computer and devise software up to date and install good, reliable security software.
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He added that “people should stay away from unsolicited emails and don’t click on suspicious links or download suspicious documents.
Be careful of the stuff you download from the internet – there are many links and downloads that may contain malware.
“Malware is software such as viruses or Trojans, designed to cause damage or disruption to a computer system.’’
The software developer said “if one has been scammed, all remote access software should be deleted immediately and use reputable
security software to check for malicious software.’’
He also advised that passwords should be changed periodically because scammers like to come back to their targets.
“If you have been a victim of a scam, the next step is to change all passwords for devices and online accounts and report to relevant providers.
“It is also wise to keep a watchful eye on your bank accounts.’’
