Campaign to protect against online fraud launched in Belarus

The unitary enterprise for the provision of services “A1” has launched a nationwide information campaign #Think5seconds, aimed at protecting citizens of Belarus from fraud by phone and on the Internet.

The main goal of the campaign is to inform as many people as possible about ways to protect their personal data and to remind them of the importance of not rushing to fulfill requests from strangers. The easiest way to protect yourself is to take a break and think for 5 seconds before clicking on an unfamiliar link, sending someone codes from an SMS, or answering a suspicious call from a messenger.

Some of the most vulnerable categories of the population who most often become victims of fraudsters are the elderly and people with disabilities. To ensure that they have access to important information, A1, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus, has developed a memo entitled “Think for 5 Seconds. Protect Yourself from Fraudsters”.

In addition, training has been organized for social workers who interact with older people and people with disabilities to improve their knowledge in the field of cybersecurity. Due to the online format, more than 500 social workers from more than 160 organizations of the social service system of the population of Belarus mastered basic knowledge on the fundamentals of Internet safety and received practical recommendations on working in this direction.

The development of safe behavior skills in the modern information environment will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 1 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.