The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has advised
victims of financial cybercrimes to hold their banks responsible for any loss
emanating from associated crimes since such institutions are custodians of their
deposits.
The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, Mrs. Felicia
Onwuegbuchulam, stated this in Lafia, Nassarawa State, where the 107th edition
of the Consumer Outreach Programme (COP) was held on Thursday.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, she said the banks have been mandated to handle
financial cybercrimes as they are the custodians of the customers’ money,
adding that this was what was agreed on by all the stakeholders in a meeting
they had earlier this year.
"Early this year we had a meeting in Abuja where the
operators, the banks, security agencies and the Central Bank and we talked
about this issue. What I want to tell people is that when you suffer any
financial loss (cybercrime), go to your bank as that was one of the outcomes of
the meeting that day.
“Go to your bank and report. The banks have been mandated
because they are the custodians of people’s money. They have a responsibility
to protect the people’s money under their custody. If you lose your money, go
to your bank and if they are unable to answer you, report to CBN and you can as
well report to NCC. We will take on the operator and CBN will take on the
respective bank. The truth of the matter is that no one is expected to lose his
or her money to cybercrime," she said.
According to her, the decision was taken as a result of
complaints from consumers of their frustrations knowing who to hold responsible
for their online financial losses.
"As it is now, people complain to us that their monies
vanished from their accounts and when they go to their service providers, they
will be told that I don't have your money why did you come to me? Then, they go
to their banks and the banks will say it is the service providers that provided
the platform.
"So, what we and the service providers are doing is
that we are collaborating on educating the consumers," she added.
Speaking earlier in her welcome address on the theme: ‘Mitigating
the Effects of Cybercrimes: The Role of Telecom Consumers" she said it was
chosen for deliberation this year to highlight the threats of cybercrimes to
all users of telecoms services and to sensitise consumers on the role they
needed to play in order to be protected
from the prying eyes of cybercriminals and hackers.
"Without any doubt, consumers are important
stakeholders in the current cyberspace where individuals and corporate users of
telecommunications devices often use the internet in our connected world. It is
our belief as a commission, that without consumers becoming aware of cybercrime
trends and making efforts to ensure safe use of connected devices,
cybercriminals will continue to make cyberspace unsafe," she said.
According to her, cyberspace covers everything consumers do
online
Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mr. Ismail
Adedigba, who stood in for the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), NCC, Prof. Umar
Dambatta, and read the speech, said the liberalisation of the industry had led
to an upsurge in the use of internet and that the commission has developed an
Internet regulatory code to secure the country's cyberspace.
"Realising that liberalisation of the telecoms industry
has led to an unprecedented increase in the usage of Internet-based solutions
and services. The NCC has initiated a process to establish an Internet industry
code of practice for internet service providers in the country.”
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