HOW TO REPORT CYBERCRIME

Draft a short and simple affidavit which sets out why you believe a criminal act has taken place. You may want to obtain legal assistance to do this.

The affidavit should set out your identity and contact details, and if available, the identity and contact details of the alleged perpetrator. It should set out the facts which led to the complaint being lodged and include any available evidence, like IP addresses and log files. Make a clear statement that you want the matter investigated further, and to be kept informed during the process.

Lodge the affidavit at your local police station.

Due to workloads and priorities, the desk officer may not want to receive your complaint – be patient and politely insistent and ask for the matter to be escalated internally.

Obtain a reference or CAS number. This is critical as it will allow you to follow progress.

According to internal SAPS procedure, your complaint should be referred to a duty detective within 24 hours. Try to get his or her name and contact details when filing the complaint or following up later.

Ask for the complaint to be escalated to the cybercrime division as soon as possible. The duty detective should recognise that he or she is not able to investigate and so escalate it.

Follow up and create pressure for the matter to be handled professionally as it won’t be sufficient to go through the motions of lodging a complaint without actively pursuing the matter.

Source: ISPA