The foreign nationals arrested for the alleged online gambling scam are said to have been carrying out detailed research about the country before executing their operations.
Royal Eswatini Police Services (REPS) Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Nicholas Jele said investigations had uncovered that some of the recently arrested foreign suspects conducted thorough research about the country, focusing on areas they perceived as vulnerabilities.
He was speaking during an interview on ‘Kusile Breakfast Show’ aired on Eswatini TV yesterday.
“They studied the country before coming here. They looked at our law enforcement systems, analysed the Constitution, laws to operate businesses in the country and they assess our technological capacity,” said Jele.
He noted that criminals also examine socio-economic factors such as the unemployment rate, which they use to craft entry strategies.
“They observe that there is a high unemployment rate and then position themselves as investors. They know very well that if they come promising job opportunities, they are likely to be welcomed,” he explained.
According to Jele, some suspects go to great lengths of appearing legitimate, including paying rent in advance to gain trust within communities.
“They present themselves as genuine investors. Some even pay upfront rental payments just to avoid raising suspicion while they set up their operations,” he said.
Jele warned that cybercrime remained a growing threat, adding that it affected both individuals and major companies.
“Cybercrime is high and it affects everyone, including big companies. Some companies have already lost substantial amounts of money through these criminal activities,” said Jele.
He further revealed that perpetrators were increasingly using social engineering tactics, including romantic relationships, to gain access to sensitive company information.
“In some cases, they use love. They lure employees into romantic relationships in order to extract critical operational information, which is later used to defraud the company,” he said.
Jele urged employees to remain vigilant and uphold integrity in their workplaces.
“People must work for their companies with dignity and honour. These companies are their source of livelihood, and they must protect them from such criminal elements,” he emphasised.
