By Banele Magongo
MBABANE – The Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) says it is important for the elderly population to be cautious and protect their finances when using digital platforms.
The commission is urging senior citizens to be cautious when using the internet to manage their finances, and to take steps to ensure that their information is secure. ESCCOM has noticed that more elderly people are being scammed by unscrupulous criminals, who convince them to press certain numbers that would allow the scammers to access the senior citizens’ funds, without their consent.
During the commission’s visit to Maphungwane under Matsanjeni North in the Lubombo Region, the elders had many questions about how to stay safe from scammers online. They wanted to know how to recognise a scam, how to keep their personal information secure, and what to do if they suspected they have been the victim of fraud.
Maphungwane Constituency Councillor (Bucopho) Salebona Hlatjwako explained to the commission what usually happened when the elderly people were scammed. “There have been many reported cases of elderly people being scammed by strangers on the phone. These scammers trick the victims into pressing certain numbers on their phones, which then allows them to withdraw money from the victims accounts without their knowledge or consent,” Hlatjwako said.
He said this was a common type of scam that targeted seniors, who could not be as familiar with the technology and could be more trusting of strangers. He said it was important to be aware of this type of scam and to educate seniors about how to avoid becoming a victim.
The commission did its best to answer all of their questions and to provide them with the information they needed to protect themselves from harm. The visit was a success, and the elders left with a better understanding of how to stay safe on the internet.
Delisa Mtseftwa from ESCCOM warned that bank cards could be dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands. If scammers obtained the three-digit CCV number on the back of the card, they could use a system to withdraw money or make purchases. To protect themselves, Emaswati should keep their cards safe at all times and never share their card details with anyone, Mtsetfwa warned.
