How Brands are Battling Website Cloning
Institutional and enterprise cyber crime attack and vulnerability is growing at an alarming rate globally and particularly in Nigeria. Seun Bangudu takes a look at how brands have been battling the menace so far and its implications.
The long raging battle of the “survival of the fittest”, between brands on the one hand and website cloners on the other, is intensifying and unfortunately, the latter seem to be gaining an upper hand. It is common to hear the phrase “the Nigerian scam”, a phrase that derives its existence from the assumption that all (or conservatively put, most) scam emails originate from Nigeria or Nigerians. Most people would agree that cyber crime has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society. Or, what would you say about a place where one could clone ATM cards without being caught; a place where one could use other people’s internet services, steal their data and even the data of their clients without being noticed; a place where online transfers can be made from original bank accounts to fake ones without trace? Needless to say, while cyber crime is a global phenomenon, it is less rampant in the advanced countries, perhaps, owing to the fact that people can easily be traced through the Network Security Analysts working with the government and other agencies to curb the crime.
The concern for internet safety is also a global phenomenon as those who never had access are increasingly being connected through their computers, mobile phones, and other devices. For example, in 2000, Nigeria reportedly had less than two hundred thousand internet users. The number grew to four hundred thousand in 2002, jumped to 1.61 million in 2003 and according to the Nigerian Communications Commission there were 1.8 million internet users in 2004.The most recent statistics from the International Telecommunications Union reveals that there were about 11 million internet users in Nigeria as at 2008. The current growth trend is further helped by the increased availability of telecom service across Nigeria.. Despite frantic efforts by different governments and corporate bodies to combat this menace, new threats keep evolving as each new solution is put in place.
Nigeria is one of the countries that have adopted for the convention on cybercrime and has developed the necessary policies and regulatory framework for combating this menace within its statute books. The Federal Government established the Nigerian Cyber Crime Working Group (NCWG) in 2004 in response to the hydra-headed monster. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, during the inauguration of this group said that “apart from dealing with the fraudsters, who utilize ICT systems and infrastructure to commit crimes in cyber space, it is imperative that we begin now to take steps to protect the huge investments that this government and the private sector have committed into developing ICT in Nigeria.” However, the NCWG has very little to show over the years, perhaps, as a result of the fact that in terms of functional responsibilities, the NCWG and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have similar strategic objectives. In terms of its counter cybercrime efforts, the EFCC has made tremendous strides. The agency has made hundreds of arrests and recovered millions of naira in looted monies. Also the EFCC has earned the respect of international anti-cyber crime law enforcement bodies. A 2004 statement by the then US Attorney General, John Ashcroft, reads: “To strengthen our international cooperation, the FBI has assigned an agent to work exclusively with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. In many of our most important operations, we have received invaluable cooperation from foreign officials.”
However, the brands are still battling. Nigerian cyber criminals now smile home with cloned Interswitch websites that misdirect innocent people to update their ATM card details due to an upgrade of the company’s systems. Kola Olugbodi, Managing Director of Background Check International, in his publication, Cyber Crime Fight Must Be Fought with Technology, stated that “I have received over 4,000 emails that Interswitch is upgrading its system and I needed to upgrade my records so I should disclose my PIN number and other information, which is fraudulent.. Unfortunately, many Nigerians fall prey to it, thinking it is authentic because these guys have succeeded in cloning the website of companies.” ATM card holders report loss of money. Investigations show that a number of ATM card holders have fallen prey to the cyber criminals. Some of the victims said the monies in their accounts were cleared out after they responded to such emails by registering their ATM card details. Messages are even now being sent to people, signed off in the name of a visible company official.
The Public Relations Manager of Interswitch Nigeria Limited, Ariyo Kosoko, confirmed that the company has been running a media campaign since 2007 to educate cardholders about the ravaging scam. How effective this campaign has been with reference to the present situation is the big question. National telecommunication operators like MTN and Glo have been shutting down fake websites sending fraudulent messages to subscribers that they have won huge sums of money in promos. The purported winners are thereafter advised to visit the fake websites to validate their prizes. It is on these web sites that they are lured to part with their bank details which the fraudsters later use to empty their accounts electronically. Different national dailies reported that Globacom recently shut down 10 of such fake websites. In a statement issued by the company’s Executive Director, Legal Services, Mrs. Gladys Talabi, a few weeks ago, Globacom disclosed that the activities of the fraudsters who operate these fake websites have been affecting the image of the company as many subscribers have been lured to these sites and conned of their money. “The growing sophistication of the fraudsters and the uncommon boldness in attempting to perpetrate crimes using the name of Globacom has been a source of worry to us and the situation is made more appalling by the fact that some subscribers are falling prey to their antics”, she said. “In the past 2 years, we have been warning subscribers through short messages, newspaper adverts and other media. However, we are worried that this crime seems to be growing rather than abating”, she added.
Speaking on MTN’s efforts to combat cyber criminals, the External Communications Officer, Mr. Funso Aina, said, “We always publish regular fraud alert advertisements in newspapers. Also, we always tell our numerous subscribers, via the many radio and TV programmes that we sponsor, to always be conscious of scammers. The key messaging in such fraud alerts is that MTN will never send you a text message to inform you that you have won anything; rather we always call using the 180 number. Also, we will never ask you to give us your account details or send us recharge cards or make any ridiculous demands before you can claim prizes. We always report any fraudulent website to the security authority and shut it down consequently. Also, if anyone reports the existence of any fraudulent website to us, we trace and shut it down immediately.”
Isn’t there a permanent or more effective solution to this menace?
Banks also send scam alerts warning recipients of emails on cloned websites requiring them to provide sensitive information about their accounts and ATM Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) to ignore such mails as they do not originate from them. While the prevalence of Social Networking Sites and Online Communities should be great news for individuals, safety remains a major source of concern. Cyber crime is rapidly spreading on Facebook as fraudsters prey on users who think the world’s top social networking site is a safe haven on the internet. Experts say hackers are now entrenched on Facebook whose membership has soared from 120million last December to more than 200million today. Facebook reportedly manages security from its central headquarters in Palo Alto, California, screening out most of the spam and malicious software targeting its users. While this is supposed to make it a safer environment to surf than the broader internet, relentless criminals sometimes break through Facebook’s considerable filter.
According to estimation by Nigerian renowned Information Technology Expert, Mr. Chris Uwaje, cybercrimes and cyber security activities will increase by about 53% in the next half decade (i.e. 2010-2015). Is there any hope of brands overcoming the fierce battle with these monsters? And if yes, how soon can they do that?
