ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER ON SATURDAY OFFENCES ONLINE Death toll past 1,600 as Gaza truce collapses GAZA CITY: A humanitarian truce in Gaza collapsed hours after it began yesterday amid a new wave of violence and the apparent capture by Hamas of an Israeli soldier. US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Turkey and Qatar to use their influence to secure the sol- dier’s release. In Gaza, 160 people were killed or died of their wounds yesterday, taking the Palestinian death toll to 1,600, mostly civilians. Sixty-six Israelis, three of them civilians, have died. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia denounced “inexcusable” world silence over Israel’s “war crimes” in Gaza. See also page 5 South Sudan peace talks to restart on August 4 ADDIS ABABA: South Sudan’s warring leaders will resume peace talks on Monday, mediators said yesterday, amid warnings of famine within weeks if fighting continues. Mediators from the East African IGAD bloc said in statement that the resumption of talks had been delayed by “extended holidays”. Talks between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar stalled in June with each side blaming the other for the failure. Sisi to skip Obama’s Africa summit WASHINGTON: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi will not attend an unprece- dented gathering of African leaders here next week, after he was given a belated invitation. Morocco’s King Mohamed VI will also be a no-show at next week’s gathering to be hosted by President Barack Obama. Egypt was initially not on the summit’s guest list because its membership of the African Union (AU) had been suspended after the military ousted elected president Mohamed Mursi. Cairo was re-admitted to AU in June and the White House issued an invitation for Egypt to attend the three-day talks, which begin on Monday. Iraq’s top Shia cleric THE ISSUE urges smooth transition BAGHDAD: Iraq’s most influential Shia Cybercrime is evolving with time government departments or reputed compa- about cybercrime is low,” added Al Hadad. cleric appealed to Iraqi politicians yesterday and is taking new forms to trap nies and ask for the recipient’s personal infor- Lottery fraud is another form of cyber- not to make themselves “an obstacle” in the mation. They use the information to commit crime in which the perpetrators send an country’s transition as the deadline looms for innocent people. Though emails identity theft and read emails, and use credit email or text message saying that the recipi- selecting the next prime minister. asking for money and information card and banking data to make payments and ent has won a huge amount in a lottery. They Illustration: Aby Abraham “The big challenges facing Iraq require that still pose a threat, blackmailing by withdraw money from bank accounts. ask for some money to send the victim his the next government command national and “Cases of cybercrime are on the rise in winnings, which the victim never gets. Job broad acceptance ... to face the crises that are women is the new trend. Qatar and the majority of the cases are offers are another trap perpetrators use to hitting the country,” spokesman Ahmed Al Safi related to stealing of money from bank lure victims. quoted Al Sistani as saying. “No one should make he Ministry of Interior is receiving accounts, identity theft and using others’ The Ministry of Interior has a unit to himself an obstacle in achieving national consen- complaints wherein the victims are email using fake online companies. Such combat cybercrime. It was set up in 2009 sus,” Al Sifi added during a sermon in Karbala. alleging blackmail by women. crimes are new to Qatari society and people as a part of the Criminal Investigation T These women initiate commu- are not aware about how to deal with them,” Department following an increase in the Mysterious lake appears nication with the men and win their trust. said Khalifa Jasim Al Hadad, a Qatari lawyer. number of cybercrime cases in the country. After becoming intimate, they threaten the “I have also been a victim of cybercrime. One of the objectives of the unit is to create in Tunisian desert men, claiming that they have recorded their I came to know that a smartphone violates awareness about cybercrime so that people conversations and the photographs they have individual and family privacy. Since then I don’t fall victim to it. TUNIS: A lake has appeared in the Tunisian exchanged and would make them public. have stopped taking pictures of my family The ministry makes efforts to spread desert like a mirage. For locals, roasting in the Other forms of cybercrime are also being members because they are easily accessible awareness about cybercrime, but one of the 40 degrees Celsius heat, the temptation to cool reported in Qatar, and stealing of information by other people,” he said. challenges it faces is that cybercrime is often off in the inviting water quickly overcame any online is a common one. Spying, attempts to One of the major challenges in control- cross-border crime, which makes tracking it fears about the pool. Hundreds flocked to what defame, use of abusive language, use of forged ling cybercrime is the growing use of smart- difficult. Sometimes, other countries refuse quickly became known as the Lac de Gafsa or PAGEcredit cards and 6impersonation are some of phones, tablets and computers and low to cooperate in solving the crime. Gafsa beach to splash, paddle and dive. Local the other major cybercrimes reported here. awareness among people about cybercrime. Experts suggest that awareness is the best geologists suspect seismic activity may have For stealing information online, cyber “People are excited to use new smart- defence against cybercrime. ruptured the rock above the water table send- criminals send emails purporting to be from phones and tablets but their knowledge See also page 2 ing the liquid to the surface. AGENCIES & THE GUARDIAN Saturday 2 August 2014 • 6 Shawwal 1435 • Volume 19 • Number 6145 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 AUGUST 2, 2014 ON SATURDAY 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com Home Technology exposes users to cyber crimes BY SACHIN KUMAR purporting to be from popular social Saeed Madawi Al Qahtani, officer at networking sites, auction sites, banks, the centre for combating cyber crimes DOHA: Growing use of smart- online payment processors or IT at the Ministry of Interior, said that Fresh calls are being made for tougher security standards to protect phones, tablets and computers in administrators are commonly used cyber crimes was easy and could be consumer information after a series of data breaches at major retailers Qatar is exposing the users to the to induce unsuspecting individuals committed in a few minutes, because WS B D B (number of accounts hacked) threat of cyber crimes. Cybercime to reveal personal information. Such of which it was considered one of the 150 m in Qatar mostly consists of phish- emails may also contain links to web- most dangerous types of crime. Also, Nov 27- Biggest credit card ing, defaming or blackmailing some- sites infected with malware. it is evolving with the development of Dec 15, 2013: scam in history: one, hacking, spreading viruses, and Hacking is a type of crime wherein technology. It is important to raise 120 Data from 70m Heartland Payment 130m stealing credit card details or other a person’s computer is broken into so the awareness of people about cyber shoppers copied, Systems Inc. paid out financial information. that his personal or sensitive informa- crimes. No category of people in Qatar including 40m over $110m to Visa, “There are many cases of cyber tion can be accessed. In hacking, the is safe from cyber crimes because they 90 credit/debit Mastercard and crimes happening in Qatar, includ- criminal uses a variety of software to are using phones and computers. The cards 94m ing identity theft, taking data. People access a person’s computer and the MENA countries are exchanging others to settle who use smartphones as well as others person may not be aware that his com- information and experiences in com- claims 77m 60 70m have complained about stealing of data puter is being accessed from a remote bating cyber crimes, Al Qahtani said. 58m and money from their bank accounts. location. One can report scam messages to 50m 50m The majority of cases are related to Identity theft has become a major the cyber crimes investigation centre 30 38m 40m stealing of money from bank accounts, problem for people using the Internet of the Ministry of Interior by sending 32m using others’ email and using fake for cash transactions and bank- an email to [email protected] or via the online companies,” said Khalifa Jasim ing services. It involves a criminal ministry’s social networking pages. 0 Al Hadad, a Qatari lawyer. accessing data about a person’s bank The ministry cautions people about 2013 20132013 2013 2013 2011 2009 2009 2007 2005 “One of the major problems with account, credit cards, debit cards and hoax and scam messages. In such mes- this crime is that people do not get to other sensitive information to siphon sages, the criminals ask for personal know about it immediately. It takes off money or buy things online in the information or details of bank accounts some time for them to realise that victim’s name. It can result in major or ask them to transfer money.