LUSAKA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Zambia on Monday announced the formation of a cybercrime squad aimed at curbing abuse of social media platforms.

The Special Joint Cybercrime Crack Squad (SJCCS) was an effort of collaboration among security agencies and other stakeholders following a rise of abuse of social media platforms, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement.

The statement added that the multi-disciplinary collaborative approach will help promote a safe, resilient, reliable and inclusive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector for increased and continued investment and development in Zambia.

The squad will support the identification of investigative overlaps and eliminate duplicity of resources while effecting new investigative approaches to bring about rapid resolution of cybercrime cases and fast-track prosecution of offenders, according to the statement.

While acknowledging the exponential growth in ICTs which has created unprecedented opportunities for development, the statement noted that the wider and increased availability to digital platforms has led to some unscrupulous engagements.

Zambia has seen an increase in abuse of social media, which includes the opening of fake Facebook pages in the names of prominent people including President Edgar Lungu and ministers, which are being used to siphon money from unsuspecting members of the public.