Cybercrimes: know the experts' recommendations to avoid being scammed

The rise in cybercrimes, through platforms like WhatsApp, has increased experts' concern to inform about how to defend against these threats.

By: Juan Manuel Correa – Office of Communications Advisory.

The University of Cundinamarca issued a series of recommendations to the public to avoid falling victim to cybercrimes, emphasizing the importance of not sharing sensitive data via WhatsApp. According to the Cybercrime Directorate of the National Police, in the first half of 2024, 23,640 cybercrimes were reported, with an average of 168 incidents daily.

Through the Information Security Management System and the Comprehensive Personal Data Management Program, the University has been carrying out trainings over the past four years to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, protecting the personal data of the university community and other data subjects.

Diego Armando Castro Páez, a Systems Engineering graduate from the University of Cundinamarca and current cybersecurity leader at Ecopetrol, offers the following recommendations to avoid falling into the hands of cybercriminals:

• Identity verification: Before sharing personal or financial information, make sure to verify the identity of the person you are communicating with.
• Do not share sensitive data: Avoid sharing credit card numbers, passwords, or other sensitive data via WhatsApp.
• Privacy settings: Adjust your privacy settings in WhatsApp to control who can see your personal information and profile picture.
• Avoid suspicious links: Do not click on unknown or suspicious links received via WhatsApp messages, as they could be phishing attempts.
• Two-step verification: Enable two-step verification on WhatsApp to add an extra layer of security to your account.
• Do not respond to urgent or alarming messages: Scammers often use messages that create urgency or alarm to manipulate people. Verify the information before acting.
• Contact authentication: Use the contact authentication feature on WhatsApp to make sure you are chatting with the correct person.
• Keep the application updated: Make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp to benefit from the latest security updates and bug fixes.

These measures, according to Castro, are essential to protect against the growing number of cybercrimes and ensure that personal information remains secure.

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