CELLPHONE FRAUD
KwaZulu-Natal advocates fall victim to costly cyber scams
Most are MTN clients and at a loss as to how criminals obtained personal information
KwaZulu-Natal advocates became targets of cybercrime at the weekend with as many as 17 reporting that they had fallen victim to versions of SIM swap and phishing scams. Most were MTN clients and said they were at a loss as to how criminals obtained personal information, especially since the fraudsters appeared to know that they were advocates. In one instance they used a "nickname" and had access to contact lists on their cellphones. In a circular to members, Society of Advocates secretary Kate Peniston said several cases of phishing, where the target was contacted by a fraudster posing as a legitimate institution to obtain their personal data, had been reported. In one scam, the advocates were contacted by a "Thabo" from MTN on an 083 number. One advocate who did not wish to be named told Business Day: "I was driving when my phone rang. He addressed me as ‘advocate’. He told me that I was about to fall victim to a SIM-swap fraud. He asked if I knew a certain individual and if I had...
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