The Commissioner of Police, David Manning, has issued a warning to anyone who attempts to falsify a police document is committing a crime that faces a penalty of up to K100,000 and 25 years imprisonment.
Commissioner Manning said altering any electronic document with criminal intent is an offence under the Cybercrime Code Act 2016, and if the fraud is intended to undermine law enforcement and public safety, the full penalty will be sought in court.
With the recent online circulation of a fraudulent document with the RPNGC and INTERPOL crests and fake signatures, the Commissioner called members of the public to be vigilant, and not be tempted to circulate fake documents.
“In the modern age we must all be alert and vigilant so as to not be misled by forgers,” Commissioner Manning said after the fake document was uncovered.
“The fake document attempts to mislead a recipient into believing they are under investigation for serious and horrible crimes, and that they will be arrested and exposed in the media. This forgery could be misused to frighten or extort a recipient.
“While electronic forgeries might be relatively simple to make on a computer, they leave digital signatures that can be traced to the person who created the fake document.
“RPNGC is conducting investigations utilising the skills of digital forensic experts to trace the origin of the forgery and take appropriate action on those involved.
“Anyone with any information on this forgery, or have been victimised by this scam, are asked to contact the RPNGC Cybercrime Unit through their local police station. RPNGC investigators are highly trained professionals and conduct investigations with due regard to individual rights and privacy.”
- info@police.gov.pg
- P.O Box 85 Konedobu NCD
