A RISE in telecommunications fraud abroad has prompted CyTA (the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority) to initiate a public awareness campaign, advising customers to guard against theft and fraud at home.
A leaflet issued with the latest monthly phone bills outlines some dos and don’ts so customers avoid being scammed.
Glafcos Houtris, head of business management support at CyTA, told the Cyprus Mail the campaign was preventive, as the island had largely been spared telecommunications fraud.
Following some pretty straightforward advice should keep you out of trouble most of the time. Internet users should only submit personal information on web sites they completely trust; credit card information should only be provided when the user knows the company and when this information is absolutely necessary. Resourceful hackers can act even on partial information to gain access to people’s bank accounts.
Web surfers are also advised not to download software onto PCs from unknown sources, particularly from pornographic sites. Instances have been reported where once the application has been downloaded and installed, the program terminates the user’s link with his Internet Service Provider and the modem automatically dials an international phone number, overcharging for use of the Internet.
On telephones, CyTA advises customers not to leave their cellular phones unattended or lend them to people they do not trust. Fraudsters can copy – or ‘clone – a mobile’s SIM card and run up giant phone bills charged to your account. A spate of such occurrences has been reported abroad but, as Houtris noted, the newer SIM cards are not so easily cloned because their algorithms are far harder to crack.
Any theft or loss of a mobile should be immediately reported to police and to CyTA through the customer help line 132 or 197.
Companies that subscribe to a private telephone exchange (PABX) should take steps to secure the system from hackers, who can tap in and run up huge phone bills.
Last but not least, customers should ensure that the CyTA Distribution Point in shared buildings is locked and customers should scrutinise telephone bills. Any suspicions of malicious interference should be reported to CyTA as soon as possible.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
