Showing posts with label south afrca private investigators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label south afrca private investigators. Show all posts
July 22, 2011
South Africa Background Checks Used to Avoid Internet Fraud



July comes with the news that some internet criminals have been prosecuted and put behind the bars, in the U.K. and now in South Africa. In one South Africa scam case, a police officer was involved in a fraud ring, traced and tracked down by South Africa private investigators who picked up the evidence needed to have the scammer put in jail. Increasingly, due to the recent rise in criminal activity in South Africa, law enforcement and private investigators are advising for South Africa background checks.

The truth is that most of the cases involving the internet are very difficult to prosecute. The main reason is because most criminals are located in different countries from their victims. Along the years, developed countries have been the main target of internet scammers. Americans, Canadians, British and Australians seem to be the best pick for romance scams, investment fraud, advance fee fraud, and other internet scams. Lottery fraud is out, and the new approach is seeking out victims and easy prey on social networking sites and online match-making websites. Small businesses are also the target, where criminals pretend to have attractive business deals, and they use fake websites and documentation to convince their victims. The criminals are quite convincing.

South Africa is the most developed country on the African continent, and yet internet crimes seem to be spiraling out of control here, although not quite as bad as in West Africa, where Ghana and Nigeria are the clear leaders for online criminal activity. In fact, many criminal organizations conducting online fraud and scams in Johannesburg and Cape Town are actually Nigerian nationals and immigrations, say South Africa private investigators. These days, especially on the internet, it can be hard to know who you’re dealing with. Throw in the internet and another country, and the risk is high.

Tracking IP addresses is no longer effective, as criminals often operate from cyber cafes and use IP proxy server to hide their true location. When they are tracked down, having law enforcement make an arrest, and a court making a prosecution is a separate and difficult challenge. In short, prevention is the key ingredient to avoid the mess, and that’s why experts say a background check or due diligence investigation is essential when dealing with individuals and new business contacts in South Africa.

Internet criminals remain hidden in most case. The recent arrests made in South Africa are a very encouraging sign that law enforcement is making some progress, and that perhaps the crime rate could begin to drop. In the meantime, be safe and skeptical. Know the risks, and verify before engaging in business or personal relationships. And as always, never provide personal data or payment to anyone overseas who has not been verified. South Africa successfully beat internet fraud in the past, and most say the bad economy is responsible for the renewed crime way. Time will tell, and we will see history if history repeats itself, and South Africa overcomes this new crime wave.

All the best,

S. Birch
© 2011 S. Birch

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June 21, 2011
South Africa Scams Put Investigators in Demand













South Africa based private investigators and law enforcement agencies in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria recently announced a disturbing trend in Africa’s most advanced and developed nation. The great country of South Africa is suffering from a re-emergence of scam and fraud activity via the internet, and government officials and South Africa based businesses are concerned this could be a sign of worse times ahead. The developing and seemingly modern economy of South Africa had a serious problem with criminal operations conducting internet fraud in the past, but law enforcement and government agencies were aware of the damage being done to the country’s image, and criminal activity conducting internet fraud and scams were essentially shut down. South Africa private investigators say many of the new case of internet crime are actually being conducted by immigrants, which are often undocumented aliens from Nigeria or refugees from other crime ridden nations of Africa. The county hopes to stop the trend before it’s too late.

When a country gains international attention for its crime and scams via the internet, such as Nigeria of the Philippines, for example, there are serious economic repercussions. The damage done to a country’s image from internet fraud activity can be costly to both businesses and residents. If people associate a country with internet scams and fraud, tourism decreases. Foreign investment drops. People around the world begin to think poorly of the nation’s citizens, which is truly unfair. Such criminal operations are often worked as small gangs using internet cafes or proxy servers from a fixed location, and they typically represent a very small part of the national population. Government agencies, being directed from the offices of President Jacob Zuma himself, have been instructed to tackle this growing problem before it’s too late. Time will tell if law enforcement and private investigators are able to deal with the problem effectively.

The high risk levels for internet scams and fraud in South Africa have a surprising and global ripple effect. How could this affect you? After all, you might reside in the United States, the U.K., Canada or Australia, and you’ve never even been to South Africa. The truth is, if you’re an internet user, South Africa scams can impact you. The more criminal operations conducting romance scams, advance fee fraud, investment scams, gold scams, and identity theft on the internet means the internet itself becomes more risky. South Africa criminals can target online dating and social networking sites, and assume identities from someone in the U.S. or U.K. or Canada. Their goal is to gain your trust, win your heart or friendship, and then steal your money and/or identity. Professional criminals care little about the damage they do.

The objective of scammers is your money. Experts recommend a South Africa background check to verify new relationships pertaining to South Africa, especially those relationships begun via the internet. Online relations are especially susceptible to fraud and scam, so investigators advise to remain skeptical, be cautious about revealing personal data, and when in doubt, consider a background check or due diligence investigation to verify your contact’s identity and background in South Africa.

All the best,

S. Birch
© 2011 S. Birch

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