Security Experts Concern over Rising Cyber Crime in Nigeria

The Nigerian banking tycoon Alhaji Umaru Mutallab has been arrested following investigations, which indicate that he was the person behind the orchestration of the bank phishing e-mail scam in Nigeria. Mutallab is also the father of Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab, the failed bomber who was lately blamed for attempting to blast an airplane destined for the US with bombs hidden in his underwear.

The security experts state that the well-known Nigerian e-mail scam (also called 419 scam) is circulating all over the world. The associated phishing e-mail tells the recipient that he can have a share in 'millions of dollars,' which the e-mail sender posing as a government employee attempts to transfer from Nigeria without authorization.

However, unwitting respondents of the scam discover that some unknown individuals have successfully drained their financial accounts and the money has been transferred to untraceable accounts.

These phishing e-mail frauds are very frequent now-a-days. Moreover, it has prompted a few security specialists to speak harshly. According to them, most of the real money in Nigeria comes from fraudulent spam e-mail. Because of the illegitimate e-mails and fund transfers, the Nigerian Government has taken a step and approved the proposition of a cyber-crime act, recently placed before the country's National Assembly.

Shielding Nigeria's position in the global sphere, Chris Uwaje, President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPN), said that there was a huge impact of cyber crime on Nigeria in terms of socio-political and economic influences. Although the 419 scam has presented a picture that every Nigerian is a scammer, the considerations of both the proportion of Internet incidences internationally and the participation of Nigerians suggest that the country's people are indeed largely involved, said Uwaje, as reported by 'Next' on January 2, 2010.

Stating in the line of Uwaje's contention, Amoo Akanni, Spokesman of Computer Professionals, Nigeria's Registration Council, claimed that the adverse image of Nigeria would discourage prospective foreign investors to invest in the country which in turn would cause an adverse economic impact on it, as reported by 'Next' on January 2, 2010.

However, security professionals stated that corporate bodies, individuals and government should join their efforts to collectively curb cyber crime.

Related article: Securities Push Up A Must For Web Companies

» SPAMfighter News - 1/11/2010