Fake News featuring Turks & Caicos Leaders are scams

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, July 15, 2022 – What are confirmed as fake stories being touted as BBC news broadcasts are circulating around the Turks and Caicos implicating local politicians.

Magnetic Media has seen two such posts featuring former Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and Governor Nigel Dakin. The posts are as screenshots of  fake YouTube videos edited to appear as if they are breaking news from BBC News.

The Governor’s office refuted the claims in a post on Facebook over the weekend calling the pictures idle work. That post has since been deleted.

Regardless, the posts usually come with a corresponding link, Magnetic Media cannot confirm by who or why these photos were created but would like to remind residents of the dangers of Phishing.

Phishing is a type of illegal engineering where an cyber attacker sends a false message designed to trick a person into revealing sensitive information to them or to deploy malicious software on the victim’s infrastructure example: a phone, laptop or tablet.

Resist the urge to click on every link, cybercriminals prey on human curiosity. Clicking on suspicious links could expose your device to malware or expose your personal and financial information. Additionally residents should be cautious when disseminating  information, ensure that it is from a trusted source before you share.

There have been no warnings from the Royal TCI Police despite the trickery, having worked before on unsuspecting, trusting individuals.