Cyber-criminality caused loss of 3bln to Cameroon in 2015

Cyber crime is at the heart of the trade forum on the issue of cyber security in the development of the digital economy in Cameroon, which opened in Douala on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. According to the Director General (DG) of the National Agency of information technology and telecommunications (ANTIC), Dr Ebot Ebot Enaw, several local banks have suffered “astronomical” financial loss estimated at over 3 billion CFA francs last year.

According to the DG of ANTIC, these losses would be caused by the “Skimming,” a cyber crime which is “manifested by piracy of magnetic cards using special devices inserted by cyber criminals in ATMs machines“. Dr. Ebot Ebot Enaw also revealed that mobile operators are suffering from the same disease.



In addition to the “Skimming“, there is the diversion of telephone traffic via the “Simbox” which allow people located abroad to make calls at local rates, also causing huge financial expenditures for network operators and by ricochet, to the state. It is because of this fraudulent means with the Simbox that “an operator of the place has lost nearly 38 billion CFA francs,” says the CEO of ANTIC without mentioning the name of the victim.

Government administrations and individuals are not left behind. “About 20 government administrations including the National Assembly of Cameroon and the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) were victims of “web defacement” which happens to be a scam form of changing fraudulently the appearance of a web site”. Several other cases of cyber crimes have also been observed in some individuals and businesses. “Phishing“, this attack technique consisting in a spoof email address or website, with a view to scam an individual or a company. At this level, ANTIC officials identified a total of 100 cases.

Cameroon has a law against cyber crime. This is Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 on cyber security and cyber crime in Cameroon. It provides in Chapter 2 the various sanctions for the perpetrators of some forms of cyber crime whatsoever.