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Nigerians Without NIN Won’t Get Passports, Driving Licence – NCC

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Nigerians who are yet to link their Subscriber Identity Modules, SIM to their National Identity Numbers, NIN may not be able to obtain some important documents including driving licences and passports, the telecom industry regulator has said.

The The Nigerian Communications Commission Director of Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde who disclosed this on Wednesday via a statement, said the October 31 deadline for the linkage remains sacrosanct.

The statement read, “NCC has reminded and urged telecoms consumers to link their NINs with their SIMs before the expiration of the deadline of October 31, 2021 set by the Federal Government.

“Soon, people without NIN will be denied necessary services that play vital roles in their lives including acquisition of driving licence, passport.”

Federal government had on December 15, 2020 ordered all telecommunication operators in the country to disconnect every SIM card not synchronized with valid National Identity Number (NIN) by December 30th.

However, the deadline has severally been extended as some Nigerians showed lackadaisical attitude towards the directive.

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Kingsley Adonu’s Journey: A Tale of Hard Work and Dedication in the Telecom Industry

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In the fast-paced world of telecommunications, success is often attributed to those who demonstrate exceptional dedication and hard work. Kingsley Adonu’s remarkable journey stands as a testament to these qualities, paving the way for him to become a valuable partner with MTN, a leading global telecommunications company.

Adonu’s story begins with a humble background, where he cultivated a strong work ethic from an early age. His relentless pursuit of excellence caught the attention of industry leaders, setting the stage for a career marked by determination and resilience.

One of the key factors that propelled Adonu to success was his unwavering commitment to learning and staying ahead of industry trends. He immersed himself in the dynamic world of telecommunications, acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape. Adonu’s continuous pursuit of knowledge not only enhanced his expertise but also positioned him as a visionary in the field.

As he climbed the career ladder, Adonu faced numerous challenges, but his tenacity and commitment to overcoming obstacles set him apart. His ability to adapt to changing market dynamics and capitalize on emerging opportunities made him a standout professional in the telecom sector.

Adonu’s pivotal moment came when he aligned his efforts with MTN, a global telecom giant known for innovation and cutting-edge technology. Recognizing Adonu’s track record of hard work and dedication, MTN saw a valuable partner in him. The partnership marked a significant milestone in Adonu’s career, opening doors to new possibilities and avenues for growth.

The success of Adonu’s collaboration with MTN can be attributed to his strategic vision and innovative thinking. As a partner, he played a crucial role in steering the company toward continued success, contributing to its expansion and influence in the telecommunications market.

Kingsley Adonu’s journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring professionals in the telecom industry. His story underscores the importance of hard work, dedication, and a passion for continuous improvement. Adonu’s ascent to becoming an MTN partner is a testament to the transformative power of perseverance and a relentless pursuit of excellence in the dynamic world of telecommunications.

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Sophos’ Two Year Investigation Finfs Criminals Leverage “As-a-Service” with Sha Zhu Pan Kits to Expand Cryptocurrency Fraud

By Sandra Ani

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  • After a Two-Year Investigation, Sophos X-Ops Discovers Unprecedented Sophistication in Scams That Trick Victims into Fake Investments

Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, today revealed how sha zhu pan scammers—those conducting elaborate, romance-based cryptocurrency fraud—are leveraging a business model similar to cybercrime “as-a-service” by selling sha zhu pan kits on the dark web, globally expanding to new markets.

Sophos details these advanced sha zhu pan operations (also known as pig butchering) in the article, “Cryptocurrency Scams Metastasize into New Forms.”

Originating from organized crime gangs in China, the new kits provide the technical components needed to implement a specific pig butchering scheme called “DeFi savings.”

Criminals position DeFi savings scams as passive investment opportunities that are similar to money market accounts, often times to people who have no understanding of crypto. Victims only need to connect their crypto wallet to a “brokerage account,” with the expectation that they will earn significant interest from their investment.

Victims are adding their crypto wallets to a fraudulent cryptocurrency trading pool, which the fraudsters then empty.

“When pig butchering first appeared during the time of the COVID pandemic, the technical aspects of the scams were still relatively primitive and required a lot of effort and guidance to successfully scam victims. Now, as the scams have become more successful and the fraudsters have refined their techniques, we’re seeing a similar evolution to what we’ve seen with ransomware and other types of cybercrime in the past: the creation of an as-a-service model. Pig butchering rings are creating ready-made DeFi app kits, which other cybercriminals can purchase on the dark web. As a result, new pig butchering rings that are unaffiliated with Chinese organized crime groups are appearing in areas like Thailand, West Africa and even the U.S.

As with other types of commercialized cybercrime, these kits lower the entry barriers for cybercriminals interested in pig butchering and vastly expand the victim pool. Last year, pig butchering was already a multi-billion-dollar fraud phenomenon; sadly, the problem is likely only to grow exponentially this year,” said Sean Gallagher, principal threat researcher, Sophos.

Sophos X-Ops has been tracking the evolution of pig butchering schemes for two years. The earliest iterations—dubbed by Sophos as “CryptoRom” scams—involved connecting with potential victims on dating apps and then convincing them to download fraudulent crypto trading applications from third-party sources. For iOS users, these scams required victims to download an elaborate workaround that allowed scammers to bypass security on victims’ devices and gain access to their wallets.

In 2022, the scammers continued to refine their operations, this time finding ways to bypass app store review processes to sneak their fraudulent apps into the legitimate App Store and Google Play Store. This was also the year that a new scam pattern emerged: fake cryptocurrency trading pools (liquidity mining).  

In 2023, Sophos X-Ops uncovered two vast pig butchering rings—one based out of Hong Kong and one based out of Cambodia. These rings leveraged legitimate crypto trading apps and created elaborate fake personas to lure victims and steal millions from them. Further investigation revealed that pig butchering operators were adding AI to their arsenal.

At the end of 2023, Sophos X-Ops uncovered a vast liquidity mining operation involving three separate Chinese organized crime rings targeting nearly 100 victims. During the investigation into this operation, Sophos X-Ops first noticed the availability of pig butchering scam kits.

In the most recent pig butchering operations that Sophos X-Ops has investigated, the fraudsters have removed any previous technological impediments, as well as significantly lowered the amount of social engineering required to steal from victims. In the DeFi savings schemes, victims now engage in fraudulent crypto trading through legitimate, well-known cryptocurrency apps and give (albeit unknowingly) the scammers direct access to their wallets. In addition, the scammers can conceal the wallet network that launders stolen crypto, making the scams harder for law enforcement to track.

“The DeFi savings scams are the culmination of two years of pig butcherers refining their operations. Gone are the days when the scammers had to convince victims to download some strange app or transfer the crypto themselves into a soon-to-be-stolen digital wallet.

“The fraudsters have also learned how to better ‘market’ their schemes. They’re taking advantage of how liquidity mining pools operate to steal the funds by telling victims it’s a simple investment account. This is often an easier sell, especially since most people don’t understand the ins and outs of cryptocurrency trading and everything is done under the guise of trusted brands.

“In other words, it’s never been easier for people to fall victim to pig butchering, which means it’s never been more important to be aware that these scams exist—and know what to look out for,” said Gallagher.

Tips to Avoid Falling Prey to Pig Butchering

To avoid falling victim to a pig butchering scam, Sophos recommends the following:

  • Be skeptical of strangers that reach out via social networking sites like Facebook or texts, especially if they want to quickly move the conversation to a private messenger like WhatsApp
    • This also applies for new matches on dating applications—especially if the stranger begins talking about trading in crypto
  • Always be weary of any “get rich quick” scheme or cryptocurrency investment opportunity that promises large returns in a short amount of time
  • Be familiar with the lures and tactics of romance scams and investment scams. Non-profits like the Cybercrime Support Network have resources that can help
  • Anyone who believes they have fallen victim to a pig butchering scam should immediately withdraw any funds from any affected wallet and contact law enforcement.
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Eight Things To Know About The New Twitter-like app, “Threads”

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Mark Zuckerberg, Just launched a new Twitter-like app called Threads, On Wednesday the 5th of July.

Instagram’s Threads app, which went live on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries on Wednesday, will enable users to sign up straight from their Instagram accounts.

According to screenshots from the App Store listing, Threads will function like Twitter with text-based posts that can be liked, shared, and commented on.

The app is currently topping the chart as the most downloaded social networking app with over 100 million downloads within 24 hours, as announced by Zuckerberg.

The developer of the Instagram text-based conversation app describes it as an app “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.”

Mark tweeting about the new app number of downloads

Here are 8 Things to know about Threads:

  1. The Founder of the Threads App is businessman and tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company, Meta Platforms, of which he is the executive chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling shareholder
  2. Threads will allow Users can post up to 500 characters on Threads, including links, photos, and videos running up to 5 minutes in length.
  3. Users on Threads have the option of logging onto Threads using an active Instagram account, but they must be at least 12 years old to do so. (When people under the age of 16 or the age of 18 in some countries join Threads, their accounts by default have a secret profile.)
  4. Threads will likely share the same features with Instagram, like having 125 caption characters, 150 characters for the bio, and 30 characters for the user name.
  5. Users will be able to establish a loyal following of their own to share their thoughts, opinions, and creativity with the world, or follow and connect directly with their favorite creators and those who share their interests.
  6. Threads might be subject to action constraints of 500 actions per day rather than reading limits.
  7. According to a privacy statement provided on the app store, Threads may gather data from users linked to a wide range of categories, including health and fitness, finances, contact information, search history, and transactions, among others.
  8. Instead of starting from scratch, Threads will directly import users’ existing Instagram followers and the following list.
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