Cyber Safe Campaign Launches to Help Public Stay Safer Online

The Cayman Islands Government has relaunched Cyber Safe, refreshing the public awareness campaign with a renewed focus on helping people across the Cayman Islands protect themselves from online scams, phishing and Government impersonation through practical advice on how to verify information before they act.

The 12-month campaign, which starts today, will initially focus on scams, phishing and impersonation through its first phase, “Is It Official?”. With recent scams involving messages that impersonate Government entities, legitimate agencies and other trusted organisations, the phase encourages people to independently verify information before acting on it, including before clicking or downloading something, responding to a message, making a payment, providing personal information or sharing content with others.

While scams and fraudulent messages cannot always be prevented, greater public awareness can help reduce their chances of success. Through straightforward, practical advice, Cyber Safe aims to help people of all ages and levels of digital confidence make safer decisions when they encounter unexpected or suspicious information online, including messages, websites and accounts that claim to represent the Cayman Islands Government or other trusted organisations.

For information claiming to come from the Cayman Islands Government, start with the official website, GOV.KY.

“As technology continues to evolve, we cannot rely on appearance alone to tell us whether something is genuine. Scams and frauds are becoming increasingly convincing and often they purport to be a legitimate public agency or trusted organisation. Typically, the messaging will have a sense of urgency or may even be threatening; all of which is designed to get the recipient to act quickly. Trust your instincts, as the unexpected or unusual message, is likely to arouse your suspicion. Always contact the agency or organisation directly to verify through the official channels, remembering never to use the contact details in the suspicious message,” said Pamela Greene, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Government.

Cyber Safe is led by the Ministry of Social Development and Innovation (MSDI), with support from the Cyber Security Unit, Department of Communications and Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS). The campaign will bring together expertise from across Government and the private sector to deliver practical, accurate guidance that helps people across the Cayman Islands stay safer online.

Guidance and resources will continue to be updated throughout the campaign to respond to emerging risks and the information people need to stay safer online.

Members of the public can access Cyber Safe guidance and independently verify Government information at GOV.KY/cybersafe.