The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again alerted telecom subscribers to the increasing incidents of fraud across various platforms, especially on social media networks.
The Commission, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Public Affairs Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, advised telecom consumers using any social media platform to be alert and wary of the tricks of fraudsters and other unscrupulous persons, in order not to fall victim to their antics.
“The latest scams sometimes take the form of ‘Vishing’, which are fraudulent phone calls from people who may claim to be calling on behalf of a known and credible organisation, with the intention to gain access to the target’s personal social media account or other identity resources to perpetrate fraud’’, the NCC statement said.
The telecom sector regulatory agency said Vishing is a form of Phishing which is punishable under Section 32 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act of 2015.
It said: “These increasingly popular incidents typically start with a phone call from fraudsters requesting the call receiver to perform a certain task for the caller, which will enable the caller (usually part of a wider network of syndicates) to swiftly takeover the social media account of an individual or group.
“Consequently, the Commission wishes to inform the general public that such calls and antics are initiated and carried out by unscrupulous persons, usually with the intent to defraud unsuspecting citizens and or commit other heinous crimes.”
