Filenews 18 February 2023
Unprecedented amounts were lost by Cypriots from online scams in 2022, despite the recommendations of the Police and other organizations, not to respond to suspicious messages aimed at "fishing" unsuspecting citizens.
According to data from the Cybercrime Prosecution Branch, last year they made wings from the bank accounts of Cypriots of €23,231,163 in 425 cases. Amounts that are characterized as huge by online scams. As Ahn pointed out to "F." Police Officer B' Andreas Anastasiades, Assistant Director of the Anti-Crime Department, in charge of the Cybercrime Sub-Directorate, internet fraud was particularly increased during the past year and the amount posted by the complainants in Cyprus was huge. Despite the 200 announcements issued by the competent police office, nevertheless our compatriots fell victim to international fraudsters who "pinched" from their bank accounts tens of thousands of euros, before disappearing. The most common online scams to which Cypriots or companies have fallen victim, concern the method of phishing which is the main form of fraud, i.e. sending mass messages to the public type of sms, where pretending to represent banks, they ask to validate their details.
Another form of fraud is the method of illegally accessing emails and changing a bank address that we supposedly have to remit our debt, when in fact it is a scam (even though their messages look genuine). Another danger is cryptocurrency scams, where the perpetrators promise large profits immediately and convince "investors" to invest large amounts for maximum return. Especially for investing in cryptocurrencies, Mr. Anastasiades says that we must be especially careful because many risks are hidden behind it and fraudsters are becoming more and more convincing about the return of the money of the so-called "investors" in order to convince them to invest more and more amounts. Cryptocurrencies lost most of the money from online scams in 2023.
Another common scam is the sending of a message or e-mail that someone has a parcel through a courier company and in order to receive it he has to pay an extra amount because the shipping has increased. These messages are supposedly sent en masse by internationally known courier companies in order to convince those who happen to expect a parcel to respond to a special link attached to them in the message. The aim of the circuits is to steal the amount requested and disappear.
According to Mr. Anastasiades, the Office of Combating Cybercrime has intervened immediately and managed some large amounts of what was at the stage to change hands and pass to fraudsters, to be returned to their owners. The head of the Office points out the need to submit a complaint to the Police in a timely manner as soon as someone realizes that he has been the victim of fraud, so that timely actions can be taken and the amounts stolen by international fraudsters can be blocked, before ending up in unknown accounts.
Increase in pornography
As for child pornography cases, they also recorded an increase last year compared to 2021. Specifically, in 2022, 237 cases of child pornography were examined by the Cybercrime Prosecution Branch compared to 214 in 2021 and 190 in 2020. Of the 237 cases examined last year, 142 concerned child pornography, i.e. posting of content with child pornography, dissemination and circulation, another 66 in a child pornography invitation, i.e. individuals requested nude photos or videos of children and 29 cases of child pornography that began to be investigated in Cyprus but were found to concern cases that were abroad, so appropriate steps were taken to be examined by competent services.
At the same time, as Mr. Anastasiades pointed out, 131 minors came to the Cybercrime Subdirectorate last year to provide assistance or file a complaint mainly on child pornography issues, an action that is considered as an invitation to child pornography and the vast majority of them were girls. "There is a big problem with the cases of minors who send nude photos and videos to other peers with relative ease, as a result of which this material is immediately disseminated to many people, mainly to the students of the school," points out the head of the Cybercrime Sub-Directorate. He recommended that photos with intimate moments or videos should not be sent, so as not to fall prey to sophistication with often disastrous consequences on the psychology of minors.
Last year, 34 cases involving illegal computer intervention were also investigated, i.e. unknown persons intercepted the codes and entered another person's computer. The Cybercrime Prosecution Branch also investigated seven racist – xenophobic incidents online, for which court files were formed.
It is noted that the Branch operates a platform for submitting complaints on the website www.cyberalert.cy where about 1500 complaints are submitted every year and mainly concern theft of personal data, invitation to child pornography, etc.
Personal data on the dark web
In 2022, the Cybercrime Sub-Directorate (UNHCR) participated in an EU project called GRACE, for software development for the processing, evaluation of information and identification of victims of child pornography. We participate with EUROPOL, Portugal, Spain, Romania etc. and are active members in both development and management. In March 2022, members from EUROPOL and the participating countries were hosted, where the programme was launched for the first time.
Also, the Branch participated in the international operation called "SSNDOB Club" where in cooperation with the FBI five servers were located and seized which offered on the dark web services for the provision of personal data of 24 million citizens and bank cards. The sale value of this data was $19 million. The company was announced to SMEs in the USA and Cyprus.
The Cybercrime Subdirectorate also participates in the European project E.C.T.E.G. which concerns the creation and management of educational material on cybercrime and the forensic examination of electronic data. In the context of the above, the Sub-Directorate led a project in which educational material was created under the name Network Forensics. In April 2022, a pilot delivery was made, an educational organization by various law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, the Sub-Directorate, according to its manager, participated in two major prevention campaigns on the topics, (a) sexting with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the organization Voice where a series of lectures were given to teachers and students and (b) in the ASPIS II campaign with the Digital Security Authority and the association of banks, on cyberattacks and internet risks. Both campaigns have had excellent results.
INTERVENTION
Get to know your kids better
Child pornography is taking on uncontrollable proportions in all its manifestations. Whether it's photos and videos of children bought from the dark web, or photos sent as part of a relationship and ultimately posted in public view on social media platforms. As a result, the humiliation of mostly underage girls. This isn't the first time schoolgirls have been the victim of spreading their intimate moments from former friends or strangers they met online. Because no one knows the extent of the damage that can be caused to these children by such phenomena, parents have the primary and great responsibility to get to know their children first and then to direct them.
The main concern is not to exchange photos or videos with intimate moments with anyone. Because someone today may be our partner, but tomorrow they may not be and continue to own these photos.
We must also trust the Police as a last resort to punish those who resort to making this information public.
