The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has warned the public to beware of scammers using phishing techniques to defraud unsuspecting Kenyans.
According to detectives, phishing is a cyber attack in which criminals deceive individuals into providing sensitive information.
This information may include identification numbers, usernames, passwords or the card verification value (CVV) found on credit cards, and other personal data.
In a statement on Tuesday, October 7, the DCI disclosed that phishing is typically done through links, fake emails, messages, or websites that appear to be from authentic sources.
The detectives further explained that phishing involves an attacker sending a fake email, website or message that pretends to be from a reputable institution.
These deceptive messages may offer something enticing, such as 'click this link and register to get unlimited talk time for any network', or use urgent or threatening language, such as 'Your account will be closed after 24 hours'.
They may also request personal or financial information, such as OTPs (one-time passwords) and date of birth. Once the user enters their details, the attacker captures the information for malicious use.
Kenyans were thus urged to avoid clicking links, opening or downloading attachments that come with unknown or unexpected emails or Short Message Service (SMS).
The warning comes on the back of the recent notice in which Kenyans were urged to exercise best password creation practices amid a rising trend in cybercrime attacks, not only in Kenya but globally.
On October 2, the DCI expressed concerns over rising cybercrime attacks, which it revealed were largely successful due to weak passwords, among other poor practices.
According to the detectives, most passwords are vulnerable to cybercrimes because of issues such as poor user habits, evolving attack methods, and organisational oversights.
To mitigate cases of cybercrimes mainly caused by weak passwords, the detectives recommended a raft of measures, including creating passwords as long as 64 characters and using spaces.
