Madrid
Updated:
Save
In recent days, a wave of phishing emails has been detected where scammers posed as the identity of the National Police. The pretext used in the email to obtain personal data from the victims was an open and ongoing investigation in which their active participation was requested.
The hook: a fake investigation into pornographic content. The mechanism to articulate fraud by spoofing.
⚠ATTENTION:
Have you also received this ????? Don’t be alarmed, this is NOT us and this is NOT a subpoena???? It is #false
❌ IGNORE AND DELETE ????# Extortionpic.twitter.com/ioluoGAGGX
— National Police (@police) March 25, 2022
How can we detect that it is a fraud?
Although their techniques are improving, the first nuance to look at is the address of the email account from which the email was sent. Normally it usually has a name that has nothing to do with the police institution.
Another detail that we must pay attention to is the misspelling throughout the text.
The message often contains words that are misspelled or unrelated to each other. It seems silly, but another common feature is that they use stylemas, that is, signs that reveal the author’s intention or identity.
If, on the other hand, you have replied to any of these emails, it is not too late and there are mechanisms to avoid falling into fraud. The first thing will be to go to the National Police to file a complaint. To do this, it will be necessary to provide as much evidence and references as you have at your disposal. Also collect all the personal data provided to be able to check if they are trying to sell them on the dark web or appear on an internet site without your consent.
Checking if your data has been leaked on the deep web is easy. The Dark Web Scanner tool records the network and alerts you in case your personal information, accounts, passwords, etc. have been leaked. You can access, even if you are not a client, from My Panda, a tool launched by the national cybersecurity firm Panda Security. If you don’t have an account, you can register for free and enjoy this and other services.
On the other hand, contact your bank to return the payment or cancel the transfer.
Who to ask for help?
Although the first step is to report it to the authorities and State Security Forces, there are also other entities that can be of great help. One is not exclusive of the other, so you will be more protected the more informed you are.
You can contact the company or service involved. In this case with the email server. You can file a complaint and report the fraud of which you have been a victim so that your IT team can start working on it and alert your other users. In turn, it would be appropriate for you to change all your passwords and reinforce the privacy and security of your account on the site.
On the other hand, you can go to the Municipal Consumer Information Office (OIMC), where they direct and guide consumers in any of their questions. In addition, they have legal specialization services to carry out procedures and/or other claims.
Get in touch with the National Cybersecurity Institute of Spain (INCIBE), they record all computer activity of dubious legitimacy and provide guidance to individuals and companies on all kinds of issues related to cybersecurity services.
See them
comments