“Tick tock, tick tock – in just four seconds, a thousand cyberattacks have taken place. Are you one of them?”
That was the sobering opening from Inspector Joshua Cammie of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) Information Technology Unit, as he delivered a stark warning on the evolving threat of cybercrime in Saint Lucia. Speaking at the recent launch of the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Public Awareness Campaign, Cammie urged citizens to remain vigilant as scams, hacks, and online exploitation continue to grow in frequency and sophistication.
He explained it can take more than 150 days for a victim to realise they have been hacked, and another 50 days to mitigate the damage.
“By that time, significant harm may already have been done,” he cautioned.
Deepfakes and political manipulation
Cammie highlighted disturbing trends, including the use of deepfake videos targeting Caribbean leaders. Deepfakes are AI-generated videos or images that make it appear as though someone said or did something they never did.
“I came across AI [artificial intelligence] videos of the current Prime Minister, opposition leaders, and other key individuals in the region offering promises which were never made in reality. These fake videos are designed to mislead and manipulate,” he explained.
Banking scams and Ponzi schemes
Saint Lucians, he warned, are also being targeted through phishing and smishing attacks, using fake emails or text messages to trick people into giving away personal information like bank details or passwords.
“We’ve seen the shift. At first, they targeted Bank of Saint Lucia accounts. Now they’ve moved on to Republic Bank. Please, anything dealing with banking, do not click any links, do not follow any instructions in those messages. Always contact your bank directly,” Cammie advised.
He also revealed that in just two days of online patrols, he identified at least 12 Ponzi schemes operating locally – a troubling trend that echoes the fallout of the now-defunct Creators Alliance, which left scores of Saint Lucians out of pocket.
“Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”
Growing threats to privacy and safety
Beyond financial scams, Cammie said the RSLPF has been dealing with incidents of hacked government devices, ransomware attacks on private companies, and a rise in online extortion cases. He pointed to a growing wave of sextortion and revenge porn. Sextortion is an online crime where scammers trick or pressure people into sharing intimate photos or videos, then threaten to release them unless money or more images are sent.
“We have people here actually selling pornographic videos online for just a few dollars. My advice has always been the same: take the photo with your eyes. If you must share something, don’t put your face in it, and keep it encrypted,” he stressed.
Other concerns include identity theft on social media, stolen credit card data, and malware designed for cryptocurrency mining.
“One weak password, one careless click – that’s all it takes to bring down a system,” he warned, underscoring the importance of stronger passwords and safer online habits.
Despite the challenges, Cammie reassured the public that Saint Lucia is not facing the cybercrime wave alone.
“We share information with our partners in the region. We interact with the RSS [Regional Security System] and our OECS members. We are many islands, but we’re one nation, one people, one goal – to combat cybercrime.”
The reality is stay off social media and if it sounds too good to be true IT IS FALSE – don’t fall for the traps fo which there are many. There is no such thing as a free lunch –