Cyber crime on the rise in Zimbabwe - CID

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) spokesperson Detective Inspector Augustine Zimbili told the state media that cyber crime was on the increase as some people were continually losing money to fake deals they made online without verifying whether businesses they will be dealing with were real or not.

"This usually involves people from neighbouring countries who form syndicates with other local people to help them commit the offence.

"Many cases of this kind are continually being reported as people come to report about transactions they would have made online which fail to be fruitful," he said.

Detective Inspector Zimbili said they discovered that whenever they try to make follow-ups of the occurrences, they usually discover that the "companies" never existed.

"When we intervene and call other countries to investigate such issues, it's either the company won't be existing or they close up their offices and websites as soon as they get the money."

He said the worst affected are locals who are into mining and those who buy cars online.

"Usually people who will be looking for mining equipment fall into this trap as those syndicates pretend to be suppliers of mining equipment yet they will be companies that do not even exist.

"They create websites online and give references of their other chain members so that when people call they talk to other members of the syndicate if they want verification. Once they get the money their company vanishes leaving the victims stranded," he said. He said people who purchase cars online were facing the same problem as many have paid for cars that are never delivered.

"These people create fake accounts that they take off as soon as they get what they want and people should be very careful when making online purchasing.

"These criminals make very lucrative deals that attract people hence falling to their disguise," he said.

Detective Inspector Zimbili encouraged the public to stop relying on the internet on issues that involved large sums of money and to seek water-tight verification before sealing online deals.

"There is always a need to make verifications from different organisations and bodies about an organisation before depositing money into accounts of companies found online.

"It is actually wise to physically tour some of these companies before dealing with them or asking someone trustworthy to do it for you if in other countries," he said.

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