EFCC Charges Youths Against Internet Fraud

EFCC Charges Youths Against Internet Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Command, has charged students of Community Secondary School, Okoro-Nu-Odo in Obi/Akpo Local Government Area of Rivers State to stay away from cybercrimes stressing that consequences of indulging in the crime could be devastating.

This charge was given on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 by Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE 11 Bikere Helen Nagberi, while speaking at a Sensitization Lecture organized by AXA, an international health insurance firm. According to her, the theme of the lecture: ” The Financial Consequences of Cyber Crimes” came at a right time when youths needed deeper insights into the effects of internet fraud on their future aspirations.

Nagberi stressed that cyber crimes have deleterious effects on individuals, businesses and nations and warned youths not to regard any indulgence in the crime as a norm. Continuing, she says a cyber crime is a harmful act committed from or against a computer or network, ranging from unauthorized access, data leakage, e-mail bombing, data spying, virus/worm attack, intellectual property, cyber squatting, spamming, among others.

“Financial consequences of cybercrimes is a critical issue that affects individuals, businesses and even nations. On individuals, each day millions of people fall victims to cybercrimes often resulting in significant financial loses. Using phishing scams, cyber criminals impersonate legitimate institutions to trick individuals into revealing their personal information which can lead to drained bank accounts, unauthorized credit card charges or even identity theft”, she said.

She also pointed out that the financial consequences of a cyber attack on a business can be devastating. She particularly emphasized that the costs of investigating the breach, restoring the systems, notifying customers and rebuilding trust can be astronomical. “In some cases, the impact is so severe that businesses are forced to close their doors, leading to job losses and economic instability within communities”‘ she said.

For youths caught in any fraudulent internet dealings, Nagberi warned that legal sanctions including imprisonment, fines and convictions may be suffered. She, therefore, advised students to spend their time exploring the internet positively as undergraduates and not to commit crimes. They should also report all cases of financial crimes to the EFCC.

In her remark, representative of AXA, Dr. V. C Ugwuja explained that her firm organised the programme as an outreach initiative packaged to enlighten students on the dangers of internet fraud.