KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Head of the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) in the Ministry of Science, Energy, and Technology, Dr Moniphia Hewling, is urging victims of cybercrimes to come forward and make a report.

She said reports can be made to CIRT or the Communication Forensics and Cybercrimes Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Cybercrime is any unlawful activity carried out by means of the computer or the Internet. These include identity theft, fraud, copyright infringement, cyberstalking, child pornography, revenge pornography, and bullying.

Dr Hewling noted that these incidents often go unreported because some persons are unaware that they are actual crimes.

 “They are not familiar with the Cybercrimes Act of 2015. Then there are those people who cannot be bothered; they may lose a couple hundred, thousands or millions of dollars and they sort it out with the bank and they have an agreement,” she pointed out.

Dr Hewling was speaking to JIS News, during a day of activities to observe Cyber Security Awareness Day at the Police Officers’ Club on Hope Road, St Andrew, on October 31.

She advised persons to exercise caution when using the Internet and to “stop and think before they click”.

“They need to realise that there is real and present danger that exists… they must also be aware at all times to protect their PIN when they use point-of-sales terminals,” she said.

Head of the Cybercrimes Unit of the JCF, Inspector Warren Williams, provided some online safety tips.

He advised persons to use passwords that are long and utilise alphanumeric characters consisting of letters and numerals.

He said digital devices should be sanitised before being disposed of, which requires the removal of data so that it is nearly impossible to recover.

He further advised persons to disable the Bluetooth option when not in use, to not click on untrusted cookies or websites, and to never volunteer personal information.