New Telegraph

FirstBank’s webinar highlights cybercrime prevention tips

Individuals and business in the country have been urged to be vigilant so as not to falk victims of cybercrime and other forms of information security breach, especially in the wake of the disruptions occasioned by COVID-19.

 

The advice was given by panelists at the second edition of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited’s webinar series aimed at sensitising individuals and businesses with useful information on being protected in today’s digital age, which held virtually on Friday.

 

Panelists at the event, which had as its theme: “Staying Protected Amidst the Pandemic Chaos,” included Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at FirstBank Nigeria, Mr. Harrison Nnaji, Chief Strategy Officer & Cyber Risk Services Leader, Deloitte West Africa, Tope Aladenusi, Cyber Security Evangelist/ Founder, Cybersafe Foundation, Confidence Staveley and the Head of Customer Complaints and  Investigations at First Bank, Mr. Sola Dawodu.

 

In his presentation, Nnaji stated that with research showing an upsurge in cybercrime following the onset of the pandemic, everyone must be careful of not falling victim to fraudsters in the course of carrying out digital transactions.

He said that bank customers, who before COVID-19 did not embrace digital bank, had to apply for debit cards to comply with the pandemic protocols, adding, that such customers, however, faced the challenge of not falling victim to experienced fraudsters.

 

Stressing that pass words and Personal Identification Number (PIN) must not be divulged to anyone, he said: “If you have to trust, you must have an independent way of validating that you are trusting the right person.”

 

Nnaji, who highlighted some of the common cybercrimes and how they can be prevented, advised bank customers to avoid using dates of birth and anniversaries as passwords and PIN.

 

Similarly, in his presentation, Aladenusi stated that the tough economy coupled with the COVID- 19 disruptions had led to sharp rise in cybercrime as well as in the level of sophistication of the criminals.

 

He, however, pointed out that findings showed that 95 per cent of fraud attempts that are successful are due to lack of vigilance or carelessness on the part of bank customers.

 

Speaking on the webinar last week, CEO of FirstBank Group, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, had stated that “the world as a global village is associated with not just benefits but also risks of cyberattack and for individuals, businesses and governments to make the best out of the digital and online opportunities, they need to be deliberate in protecting themselves against cybersecurity threats.

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