Social engineering attacks such as phishing and scamming are on the increase in Namibia, as many people continue to fall prey to psychological manipulation by being tricked into making security mistakes or giving out sensitive information.

Phishing, usually used to scam, occurs when a deceiving and fraudulent email is sent, purporting to be from a reputable company or an individual, to reveal personal information such as passwords or credit card numbers.

Cybersecurity Consultant and IT Lecturer at IUM, Iyaloo Waiganjo, pointed out that these emails often leave individuals curious, scared, or excited.

A survey conducted among 200 individuals in Namibia indicated that phishing and scamming are the most common social engineering attacks in the country.

About 36 of these fell victim to phishing and scamming.

"We are in a society where we need money, and we are people who are really curious to know what is going on. That's why it's easy for us to be tricked. Another study also states that 17% of people globally have been attacked by social engineering, meaning two people in ten have been attacked, so it is very common."

Waiganjo says there is a need for awareness creation on social engineering attacks.

She further advised individuals to be vigilant, analyse, and verify before clicking on any website links or unknown emails.

Additionally, security measures such as anti-virus programmes are to be considered, according to Waiganjo.