TMCnet News
Pastor Falls Victim to CybercrimeMar 16, 2010 (Mmegi/The Reporter/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Recently, a pastor with the Community Empowerment Ministries, Percival Mtetwa fell victim to cyber crime when more than 20 people on his contact list received an email on Tuesday from his yahoo account (which he did not compose himself) soliciting financial assistance. The mail, whose subject was urgent response needed ASAP (as soon as possible), read: How are you doing? I hope you get this on time. Am sorry I did not inform you about my traveling to the United Kingdom for a program. I can barely think or type straight at this moment. Something really terrible is happening to me right now and I will be needing Your Urgent help, I hope you come to my aid. I had a trip here in Kent Dover (UK) for a Seminar. Unfortunately for me I got mugged at gun point on my way to the hotel where I lodged. They went away with all I had including my wallet where I have all my cash and credit cards and also my cellphone. I wasn't injured because I quickly complied. Since then I have been without any money, I am even owing the hotel bills here. Presently my traveling documents are been held by the hotel management pending the time I am able to clear bills. I contacted the police here and they only asked me to write a statement about the incident and later referred me to the embassy. I have spoken to the embassy here but they are not responding to the matter effectively. The sender who uses Mtetwa's yahoo mail account goes on to inform recipients to send 200 pounds or any amount that they can afford through Western Union to an address in Kent Dover, in the UK. Asked whether he had availed his account information to any scammer, he said he had only done so when yahoo requested that he update his account information. He has reported the case to the fraud unit of the Serious Crime unit but has been told that there is not much they can do. Superintendent Chifana Toitoi of the unit confirmed receipt of the report. He confirmed that they are not able to help investigate where the electronic mail originated from, as yahoo is a big company with slim chances of finding out the identity of the sender. Asked whether they can just give up before even trying, Toitoi said it is not that they are giving up. "It's a long process that would involve Interpol, and it would be easier if it was a case in which money has already been transferred," Toitoi said. Toitoi said although they don't receive too many cases of information phishing (the act of obtaining someone's personal information illegally on the internet) he said they are slightly on the increase. He said the only help that they can give is to advise the public not to disclose too much personal information on the Internet. "The public should be aware of scammers, and not to avail information to senders they do not know," he said. Meanwhile, Toitoi said investigations are ongoing in the case in which Botswana Telecommunications Corporation lost close to P2 million in a scam involving online purchase of tickets for the South Africa FIFA World Cup. To this effect, he said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has written letters to the two countries that are linked with the Caribbean company seeking permission to continue the investigations there. |