The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia warned that during 2023, an increase in the number of cases of identity theft via the Internet and unauthorized access to computer systems was observed and appealed to citizens to protect computers.
Citizens are suggested to always keep the security program on, as it protects the computer from malicious attempts to access, damage or delete data, misappropriation of usernames and passwords or other sensitive information.
Computer users were also advised to install and update antivirus programs, to update the computer’s operating system, and to pay special attention when downloading various contents from the Internet to their computer.
The MUP emphasized that it is important for citizens to turn off their computer when they are not near it, as this prevents unauthorized persons from taking control of its operation if it is infected with a computer virus, thereby also avoiding becoming victims of abuse.
Identity theft through misuse of information technology has become one of the most common activities of perpetrators of criminal acts, stated the Ministry of Interior and added that content that can be downloaded for free from the Internet is very often infected with some type of malicious program and that in this way the user unwittingly compromises his computer.
In its post on “Instagram”, the Ministry of Internal Affairs warned citizens not to share their Wi-Fi password, because persons who gain unauthorized access to their password using their IP address can commit a series of crimes for which innocent citizens can be considered responsible.
