Luanda — A total of 1,430 cybercrimes have been recorded this year in Angola by the Criminal Investigation Services (SIC), the director of the Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence Office of the Attorney General’s Office, Gilberto Vunge, said on Tuesday in Luanda.
The information was shared during the 2nd National Conference on Cybercrime, when he spoke on the theme ‘The Rise of Cybercrime in Angola’, having said that these numbers result from 654 crimes of computer fraud, 525 of assumption or attribution of false identity, 206 of illegitimate access and 45 of Sextortion (sexual coercion).
On the other hand, he pointed out three major cases that resulted in the arrest of 85 citizens of different nationalities, two hotels, 300 mobile phones, 300 computers and several million in national and foreign currency.
The process, he said, has ramifications in Africa, South America and Asia (Middle East), as it is in these regions that the real masterminds of the criminal schemes are located.
Therefore, he said that the sectors most affected by cybercrimes are telecommunications, finance, e-commerce and cybersecurity.
Banking System
At another time, Gilberto Vunge was concerned about the constant acts of invasion in the banking sector, a fact that has already deserved a punctual monitoring by the Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence Office of the Attorney General’s Office, with a view to aborting any and all attempts.
With regard to recommendations, the magistrate said that quick and coordinated actions are needed in the face of the rise of cybercrime.
He pointed out the need to invest more in technology and training, strengthen data protection laws and policies.
International cooperation, the promotion of legal literacy on digital security practices, adherence to the Budapest Convention, as well as the adaptation of legislation to issues of cyberspace, cybercrime, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, are other bets on the table.
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The 2nd National Conference on Cybercrime promoted by the Attorney General’s Office and Pentinalli Investigations, will take place over two days and brings together experts in an in-depth analysis on ‘The Rise of Cybercrime in Angola’.
Among the topics under discussion, emphasis is on ‘Formal and Informal International Cooperation in the Field of Cybercrime’; ‘The Statute of the Defendant in Cybercrime: Protection of Rights and Judicial Efficiency’; ‘The Role of Financial Intelligence in Combating Cybercrime’. ANM/VIC/DOJ
