No Complaints Yet Of Bomohs Casting Spells Over Facebook But Be Very Careful, Warns Cybersecurity Agency
Admit it, most of us enjoy taking selfies don't we? Everyday millions of Malaysians are happily sharing their selfies and snapshots on Facebook and across social media platforms without a second thought but beware, a black magic spell could be cast on your image, says a cyber security expert.
Earlier this month, Jazannul Azriq, corporate communications officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia, which is an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation had spoken publicly about reported cases of victims online being hexed by “bomohs” or local shamans when they posted pictures of themselves online.
“Do not be surprised if the ‘bomoh’ themselves are getting smarter and they may have installed wireless broadband to launch their black magic.
Pic: tv14.my
Pic: tv14.my
So, avoid uploading pictures of yourself to avoid the threat of black magic,” Jazannul warned in an interview with Harian Metro earlier this month.
He also offered more practical advice about exercising caution when sharing photos of themselves on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites and to refrain from sharing your home address, phone number, and other personal details online, regardless of whether or not a bomoh is watching.
Evil spells cast by 'warlocks' lurking online? You may wonder if Jazannul's comments are to be taken seriously.
FilePic: Pinterest
Today, Cybersecurity Malaysia CEO Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab stated that they have not received any formal complaints of Facebook users being affected by spells cast digitally.
FilePic: macropolis.net“We have not receive any official complaint regarding the use of black magic. So I do not wish to comment further on that matter.
“The whole thing has been blown out of proportion
“Nowadays, of course, we put a lot of our information on social media, so we have to be very careful," he explained, in an interview with a local English daily.
Amirudin did however share his fellow Cybersecurity colleague, Jazannul, concerns that most Malaysians don't give enough thought to their reputation or dignity when sharing personal images online.
“Because when incidences like these happen ― we are not only talking about financial loss, but also emotional damage. Some people have their reputation or dignity damage, some people have phobia to use the Internet again after that," he cautioned.
Selfies don't just identify you but indirectly give out personal details about yourself like how your friends and family members look like, where you and your friends usually hang out, and the type of activities you tend to be involved in. All this could provide a rich trove of information for any potential stalker, hype.my reports on the black magic over Facebook comment earlier this month. The report warned netizens that selfies are meant to be taken for fun, but be careful of the potential dangers.
- Malaysian DIgest
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