Muscat – The data revealed an increase from 126 cases in 2022 to 140 cases in 2023; cases related to online content also witnessed a significant rise, from 2,519 in 2022 to 2,686 in 2023.

These cases encompassed various forms of misuse, including financial card misuse, attempted fraud, assistance, and agreements to commit information technology-related crimes.

However, cases involving violations of privacy and confidentiality terms saw a decline, dropping from 162 in 2022 to 134 in 2023.

As per the data, there has been a decrease in cases of misuse of information technology involving forgery and information fraud. The numbers dropped from 77 cases in 2022 to 96 cases in 2023; cases involving electronic transactions dropped from eight in 2022 to six in 2023.

His Excellency Nasr bin Khamis Al-Sawai, the Public Prosecutor, confirmed that the statistics of public fund crimes and money laundering for the years 2022 and 2023 showed an increase in the number of crimes attributed to employees exceeding the limits of their roles and neglecting their professional duties.

In 2022, the recorded instances of such crimes amounted to 62; the figures escalated significantly in 2023, reaching a total of 105 reported crimes.