AN elderly woman’s engagement with a stranger on TikTok cost her nearly E260 000.
The 63-year-old woman of Sidwashini in Mbabane reportedly sent the money in undisclosed instalments to the person she had met on the social media platform that is popular among the youth and elderly alike.
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Sources close to the matter claimed that the senior citizen had been promised an investment opportunity, and was asked to send money to her TikTok contact.
She allegedly started sending the money in June until last month. The total amount she lost is E258 710.
Sources claimed it was after the promised investment deal did not materialise that she realised that she had been swindled.
It said she ended up reporting the matter to the police, and this was confirmed by Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni.
Launched
This case was coincidentally reported to the police on the first day of Eswatini’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which was launched by the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) on Wednesday.
The aim of observing October as Cyber Awareness Month annually is to promote awareness about cybersecurity by increasing the level of understanding of cyber threats, simple mitigation actions, and empowering the public and the private sector to be more prepared online.
Commenting on the elderly woman’s matter, ESCCOM Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Nokuthula Hlophe said cybercriminals continued to exploit trust and data in their scams, hence the need for vigilance.
“We continue to emphasise the need for extra vigilance by Emaswati, as cybercriminals continue to exploit trust and data in these scams. Verifying investments and opportunities before paying any money is important,” said Hlophe.
Ended
In ESCCOM’s annual report for the financial year that ended on March 31, it stated that last year, the most prevalent cybercrime reported in Eswatini was fraud and mobile wallet scams.
One of such cases was of a 73-year-old woman of Siphofaneni who was defrauded money amounting to E318 000 in July.
The woman was reportedly swindled under the pretext that she was buying precious stones, which would earn her E1 million after selling them.
Also, the commission stated that the fifth edition of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) that was published by the International Telecommunications Union in October 2024, there was notable progress in Eswatini’s cybersecurity maturity.
This, according to the report, was driven by the introduction of cybersecurity legislation and the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Agency.
“However, the index also emphasised the need for Eswatini to strengthen its technical capabilities and invest in building a robust domestic cybersecurity sector,” reads the report, adding that for 2024, the National Cybersecurity Agency carried out a number of activities to build capacity, raise awareness and formulated frameworks in support of the national cybersecurity mandate.
The commission said the GCI was a trusted reference that measures countries’ commitments to cybersecurity at a global level. It provides a comprehensive evaluation of the current cybersecurity maturity status, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement across five pillars, namely; legal, technical, organisational, capacity development, and cooperation.
Each pillar is measured out of 20 points.
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