This archive report was first published on 18 September 2021.
Online Threats Lure Unsuspecting Kenyans ¶
Published on September 18, 2021
Increased use of social media has exposed unsuspecting Kenyans to online threats, with many not aware of the dangers.
Scammers often share links on social media platforms, promising rewards or prizes in exchange for clicking on the link or sharing it with friends. However, these links are often malicious and can lead to the theft of personal information or financial loss.
Naivas Supermarket recently issued a warning to its customers about an online questionnaire that was being shared on social media, promising prices up to Ksh9,000. However, the questionnaire turned out to be a scam, and customers were left vulnerable to online threats.
Moses Mudogo, a victim of online threats, shared his experience with Kenyans.co.ke. He had clicked on a link that promised a cash reward of Ksh8,000, but ended up losing control of his phone and having his contacts exposed to scammers.
"Waah, it was a bad experience," Mudogo stated. "I saw one of those links on Facebook, it had a cash reward of Ksh8,000 and the steps to fill were just easy, I quickly jumped into it."
IT expert Denis Kamau explained that scammers use multiple ways to take advantage of unsuspecting Kenyans, including tricking them into believing they are on a legitimate website. He advised that a secured URL has an 's' after HTTP, while an unsecured one does not.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reported a sharp increase in cyber threats during the period of July-September 2020, with 35.1 million incidents detected. The report attributed the increase to the move to working remotely and the increased uptake of e-commerce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the report, 1.7% of the requests were related to kids being taken advantage of online, 36.2% were attributed to general online mistreatment, and 27.4% were linked to online theft.
IT expert Denis Kamau advised that to avoid being lured into online threats, one should avoid sites that are click baits, such as how to win or cease downloading software from unknown sites. He also recommended disconnecting from the internet, especially public hotspots like office wifi, in case of ransomware attacks.
File image of a man using a phone
