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CAZ advises caution in Internet transactions

CAZ advises caution in Internet transactions
By Katwishi Bwalya
Friday September 26, 2008 [04:00]

COMMUNICATIONS Authority of Zambia (CAZ) has warned that the Internet is not the best place for financial transactions. In an interview after a media Forum on Cyber Security, CAZ information system manager Garry Mukelebai urged internet users to be security conscious whenever they were transacting on the Internet.

“A lot of people are using computers and other electronic gadgets to defraud people because it is not possible for users to know that someone has entered their computers and got information from them and they may not know that they have been hacked,” Mukelebai said.

He said Zambia currently lacked the ability to fight cyber crime.

“We are lacking in skills, equipment, coherent and organised system and strategy as a nation to fight cyber crimes in the country though some institutions have security departments to deal with it but what we need is a national strategy to do this,” Mukelebai said.

He said people who did not have sufficient software to protect their financial transactions should not rush into buying goods through the Internet.

“Everybody is going into electronic commerce but they should know that the Internet is an open sea so people should keep themselves safe when they transact on the Internet,” Mukelabai said.

He said despite the country lacking a data base on the number of people who have fallen prey to cyber security, his organisation was aware that some Zambians have been robbed of their money through the Internet, although many have not reported the crimes.

“We are trying to bring all the stakeholders on board to fight cyber crime and these are the judiciary and the law enforcement experts, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs) so that as a country, we can fight cyber crime,” said Mukelebai.

Labels: CAZ, CYBERCRIME

posted by MrK @ 5:30 PM