Bayreuth students equipped against cyber criminals

“Private computers, whether laptops, tablets or cell phones, are now an indispensable tool for all students during their studies,” said Ralf Stöber, Information Security Officer at the University of Bayreuth, opening the event “A safe start to the semester”. This is a further building block in the joint prevention work of the Bayreuth Criminal Investigation Department and the University of Bayreuth and is aimed specifically at students. The aim of this work is to make all members of the University of Bayreuth fit to recognize different cybercriminal scams and thus reduce the number of such cases.

Many students attended the event on April 18, 2024, which was held by First Chief Superintendent of Criminal Investigation Markus Hahn and Chief Superintendent of Criminal Investigation Theresa Schödel from the K11 (Cybercrime) police department on behalf of Bayreuth CID. First, Ralf Stöber presented the University of Bayreuth's IT services for students and explained how to work securely with them. “If you follow the basic rules of security for the University of Bayreuth's IT services every day during your courses, seminars, etc., you will get through your studies safely. But be on your guard, because cybercriminals are always coming up with new scams that are sometimes only recognizable as such if you look very closely.”

Markus Hahn followed on seamlessly from this and presented the work of the K11 police department: “We at K11 are responsible for all crimes that target data or computer systems with the help of information and communication technology, such as an attack with malware or so-called cybercrime offenses in the broader sense, such as online drug trafficking or cyberbullying.” He then explained why it is so important to protect your identity online and how best to do this.

Theresa Schödel explained how to deal with scams such as fake stores or fake bank employees: “Fake stores on the internet today look very good and are often indistinguishable from the real thing at first glance. Before placing an order with an unknown online store, please first check whether it is a reputable store. The fake shop finder of the consumer advice centers, for example, can help you with this.”

“There are also cybercriminal scams that can make you liable to prosecution yourself,” continued Theresa Schödel, “don't fall for tempting job offers where you can supposedly earn easy money by transferring money or forwarding parcels. Such offers are money laundering and you are also liable to prosecution.”

The many questions from the participants showed the great interest and Markus Hahn therefore concluded with the words: “Don't be afraid of the police. If you have become a victim of cyber criminals with significant consequences such as the loss of money, then contact your local police station to discuss with them what further action is appropriate.”

Everyone agreed that the event was a complete success, which is why there will be another such event at the start of the lecture period in the winter semester.