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By Palesa Matlala
- Hacker group ShinyHunters sent an email to the police medical scheme claiming to have stolen personal information belonging to members.
- In a separate case, a police officer said gang members went to his family home after his private details leaked.
Police officers and their families could be in danger after hackers claimed to have stolen personal information from the South African Police Service Medical Scheme.
A hacker group calling itself ShinyHunters sent an extortion email from a foreign address to the scheme.
The hackers claim they have broken into the system and stolen the personal details of scheme members.
The medical scheme has hired an independent cybersecurity expert to find out how the hackers got in and what information they took.
Neo Khauoe is the principal officer of the scheme. She said the scheme has contacted all members to warn them.
She said sharing too much information too early could hurt the police investigation and help the hackers.
The scheme has opened a criminal case at Brooklyn Police Station under the Cybercrimes Act. The Information Regulator has also been told about the threat.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the police are investigating the ShinyHunters email.
Leaked information is a real danger for police officers.
In a separate case, a 37-year-old officer from the Anti Drug Unit shared how leaked information put his family at risk.
Thato Mokoena said his family has faced harassment for more than three years.
He said gang members went to his family home to look for his police firearms.
“My work documents include my parental home address. I keep asking myself how they got my personal information because I moved to my house years before the incident in order to protect my family,” he said.
Mokoena said the people harassing his family also called his personal phone to threaten him.
The medical scheme said it is doing everything it can to protect members while the investigation continues.
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