JAMAICA-Police warns against cyber and fraud-related crimes.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaicans are being encouraged to report cyber and fraud-related crimes, which have increased for Christmas.

“Persons have placed fictitious accounts pretending to be suppliers of certain types of goods, and these sites look authentic. They offer good prices, so persons might feel that they’re getting a good deal; however, the minute you pay for the item, the site disappears,|” said the head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Corporate Communications Unit, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Stephanie Lindsay.

She told a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘`Think Tank’ that the police have seen an uptick in cyber-related crimes as criminals seek to capitalize on commercial activities during Christmas.

Lindsay said the police had also noticed the trend around the time of the recent Black Friday, when many persons were shopping, and are encouraging persons who may have fallen victim to the crime to make the reports, not just to their banks, but also to the; law enforcement authorities.

“We also encourage them to report the matter to the police. Sometimes people don’t bother to report it, and we find that they are scamming all levels of persons, and sometimes persons are even embarrassed to feel that they were victims or fell prey to scamming,” Lindsay said.

She explained that outside of solving the crime, the police reports assist in data analysis.

“It also allows us to collect the data and to assess the magnitude of the problem, so we can develop strategies around how we prevent persons from being scammed, and how we develop our communication in collaboration with our various stakeholders, so it’s essential for persons to be very vigilant.”

Lindsay said the police have made inroads in catching these criminals.

“Several persons have been arrested and brought before the Court. Several cases have been resolved in the Court, where they must pay back. The Court mandates that they pay back the money to the victims, so you should report it because we have been solving the crime,” she said.