Parents have complained that their phone numbers were taken from school visitor books and used for scams. Robert Manyala, director of Robiserch, highlights the risks of paper logs and benefits of digital systems. These systems securely store data and provide useful statistics.
When parents visit schools or patients attend hospitals, they often write personal details in visitor books, including name, ID number, and phone number. However, some institutions have not adopted modern technology, leading to issues.
According to complaints in WhatsApp groups, parents' phone numbers were taken from school visitor logs and used by unknown individuals. One parent received a scam message claiming their child needed urgent funds, written as if from a teacher. It is likely the details were copied from the book.
Robert Manyala, director of Robiserch company, says traditional books pose major risks. “A regular notebook allows anyone to see the name, phone number, and visit reason of the previous visitor. This is dangerous. Digital tools hide this information and store it securely,” says Manyala.
Digital systems let visitors fill details on a computer or phone, storing them safely accessible only to authorized personnel. In schools, it tracks who entered, when, and whom they visited. It also sends notifications to the intended person to confirm the visitor's presence.
Manyala notes that not only schools need this; public and private offices are at risk too, where information is used for fraud or fake advertisements. Digital systems reduce these risks and provide statistics like visitor numbers and peak activity times, to improve security and services.
“Data security is part of child and employee safety. Institutions should not focus only on costs, but on potential harms,” warns Manyala. In a world of rising online scams, such changes are necessary.