URBANEXPRESSLIVEURBANEXPRESSLIVEURBANEXPRESSLIVE
  • Home
  • Politics
    Politics
    “Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination.”— Warren Bennis
    Show More
    Top News
    Choose Lesser Evil-Pope Francis Advice Catholic Voters As US Election Draws Near
    September 14, 2024
    Uploading of IREV Reports Now 86.55% In Edo Guber Election Concern
    September 21, 2024
    Electoral Process In Nigeria deliberately Complicated To Enable Manipulation-Sen Ndume
    September 30, 2024
    Latest News
    Ex-Ondo Gov Aide: Traditional rulers’ Powers End At the LG Level
    August 27, 2025
    2027: Members Endorsing Tinubu Will Face Serious Sanctions-PDP Party Chieftain
    August 26, 2025
    Killing Field-How Lagos APC Slams Peter Obi Over Comment
    August 27, 2025
    Things of Trust With Political Elites, Nigerians No More  Exist Again- ADC
    August 26, 2025
  • Entertainment
  • Urban & Rural Lifestyle
  • Column
  • Environment
  • Urban Sports
  • Crime Lence
  • More Links
    • About Us
    • Contact us
    • Advertise
Search
  • Advertise
© 2024 Urbanexpresslive. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Protecting Nigerians from Sophisticated Scam Through Social Engineering
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
URBANEXPRESSLIVEURBANEXPRESSLIVE
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Urban & Rural Lifestyle
  • Column
  • Environment
  • Urban Sports
  • Crime Lence
  • More Links
Search
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Urban & Rural Lifestyle
  • Column
  • Environment
  • Urban Sports
  • Crime Lence
  • More Links
    • About Us
    • Contact us
    • Advertise
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
URBANEXPRESSLIVE > web-Page > Column > Protecting Nigerians from Sophisticated Scam Through Social Engineering
Column

Protecting Nigerians from Sophisticated Scam Through Social Engineering

urbanexpresslive
Last updated: January 11, 2025 10:51 am
urbanexpresslive
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

Adeyemi Adesola

There is an alarming rise in social engineering threats in Nigeria that target everyone irrespective of status or class. These scams are on the rise from phone calls requesting confidential information, to fraudulent text messages and social media account hacks. Scammers exploit our trust, fear, and ignorance, tricking victims into exposing pins and passwords. Tackling social engineering has never been more important, especially given Nigeria’s growing digital adoptions.

What is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is the practice of manipulating people into disclosing confidential information. The information these criminals seek varies. However, when individuals are targeted, the criminals usually try to trick you into giving them your passwords or banking information.

How Nigerians Face Different Kind of Social Engineering Scam

  1. Fraudulent Phone Calls: Phone calling is one of the most prevalent common mediums through which fraudsters contact their victims. This method has been utilized frequently as a way of hacking mobile banking accounts and social media accounts. The caller can impersonate bank officials or friends asking for a code or OTP (One-time password) sent to the victim’s phone or email address.
  2. Phishing Text Messages: Scammers craft well-written messages to trick unsuspecting victims into clicking on a link to update bank information or resolve an issue that does not exist. Such messages usually include links to other websites that are designed to trick the visitor into disclosing login or financial information.
  3. Social Media Hacks: Scammers hack into the social media accounts of unsuspecting victims taking advantage of weak password practices by the account owners. They impersonate the victims by asking unsuspecting friends and followers for money urgently. The scammers can also leak private messages with the aim of causing damage to the reputation of their victims.

Why Nigerians Are Vulnerable

With the increasing usage of the internet and mobile phones, Nigeria has become a big target for social engineering attacks. While it’s no secret that scammers use many different tactics to take advantage of individuals, few people know how this scam works because digital literacy is not widespread. With more and more people leaning on mobile phones for banking, communication and business activities, scammers are given additional opportunities to exploit unsuspecting Nigerians.  Also, Nigerians are known to be social, friendly and trusting. Scammers take advantage of this by pretending to be friends, family members, and trusted associates to trick unsuspecting relatives into sending money after successfully taking over the victim’s social media accounts. 

How Social Engineering Affects Nigerians

The impact of social engineering scams can be devastating:

  1. Financial Losses: The victims are defrauded of their hard-earned money through fraudulent, unauthorized transactions or fake investment scams leaving most victims with no savings.  These lost funds can sometimes be very difficult for the bank to retrieve, leaving the victim with regret.
  2. Compromised Privacy: When account information is exposed, the victims become prone to subsequent exploitation. Private data leaks can have severe lifelong consequences for the victims.
  3. Reputational Damage:  If social media accounts of people are stolen, hackers can use them to defraud other people, thereby ruining the victim’s reputation. It can damage personal relationships and even the credibility of the individual or business that depends on the social platforms.

How To Protecting Yourself Against Social Engineering Scams

  1. Be Cautious of Unsolicited Calls and Messages: Always question unexpected callers, texts or emails which ask for sensitive information. It is worthwhile noting that banks and businesses will never ask you to give them your passwords or OTPs.
  2. Verify Before Sharing Information: Verify the identity of anyone claiming to be from your bank, telecom provider, or any other company by calling the official customer support number. Never trust the contact information that the caller has provided.
  3. Secure Your Social Media Accounts: Passwords for social media accounts should be strong and unique, and two-factor authentication (2FA) should always be enabled. Also, under no circumstances should you click on links or attempt to log in directly into your email, or online account from a text message you receive.
  4. Educate Yourself and Others: Learn how scams operate and share this knowledge with friends and family. Awareness is the first line of defence. Empowering others with this knowledge creates a community that is collectively vigilant against social engineering threats.
  5. Pause Before You Act: Scammers create urgency to make you act quickly. Always take a moment to think and verify before responding to any requests. This simple habit can prevent impulsive actions that scammers rely on.
  6. Avoid Sharing Personal Details Online: Do not disclose your phone number, address or any other personal details on your social media accounts. The more information scammers know about you, the more easily they may manipulate you.

Adeyemi Adesola, Cybersecurity Analyst wrote Via Yemiadesola@gmail.com

You Might Also Like

Making Yourself Happy in These Trying Times 

The shape of what’s to come

How New Terror Group Identified As Lakurawa offers N1million Incentives To Recruit Sokoto Youths See Video

As Benue state bleeds again

How EFCC Arrested 44 Suspected Fraudster In Anambra, Enugu

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article The ominous omission in Mr President’s ‘media chat’
Next Article Abuse of Naira In Viral Video: EFCC Invites Okoya’s Sons
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

235.3kFollowersLike
69.1kFollowersFollow
11.6kFollowersPin
56.4kFollowersFollow
136kSubscribersSubscribe
4.4kFollowersFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Latest News

2026 Hajj: Saudi Authorities Warn Nigerians Says Pilgrims Without Valid Visas Will End Up in Jail
Discover Urban & Rural Lifestyle August 27, 2025
Transfer: Why Onana Not Leaving Man Utd For EPL Rivals, Chukwueze to Join Fulham
Urban Sports August 27, 2025
urban express news logo
Ex-Ondo Gov Aide: Traditional rulers’ Powers End At the LG Level
Discover Politics August 27, 2025
Train Derailment in Abuja Kaduna: I Take Responsibility-NRC MD
Discover Technology August 27, 2025
Executive Master of Transport Management
//

UrbanExpressNews is Nigeria Most Reliable Online News, With Quality Pedigree of Writers made available on the online space.

Download Our App

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

info@urbanexpresslive.com

 

Follow US
© 2024 Urbanexpresslive. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account