scam

the “mobile farms” that operate in Spain to scam you

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A single person, operating from Barcelona, ​​and with technological material valued at 400,000 euros, managed an entire infrastructure capable of sending up to 2.5 million fraudulent messages every day. This is just one example of how criminal groups act through these SIM card farms, which they rent to execute massive scams that affect millions of users around the world. What are these farms and how do they operate? These ‘farms’ are basically industrial computer systems designed to exploit thousands of SIM cards simultaneously. The core of the system is the SIMBOX, boxes that house hundreds of professional GSM modems. Each modem functions as an independent mobile phone, capable of sending between 12 and 18 messages per minute. In the last case dismantled by the Civil Guard, the operator had 35 SIMBOX equipped with 865 active modems, controlled by a dozen computers. The result: millions of fraudulent calls and SMS sent daily to previously selected victims. Criminal business. According to explains the Civil Guard, these infrastructures were not necessary until recently. As reported by El País, a government order put into effect last June blocked any calls with Spanish numbers made from computers with IP located abroad to stop spam and fraudulent calls. For this reason, international criminals have been forced to find alternatives. In the case of Spain, they use someone within the country, with technical knowledge and knowledge of the country’s social structures to provide them with active local numbers. This is how this new criminal business niche is born. How the scam works. Just like explained The Civil Guard in the report of the last case dismantled, the operator did not directly execute the scams. Its role was to create and maintain active infrastructure, which it then rented to cybercriminal networks anywhere in the world in exchange for payments in cryptocurrencies. He used a cafeteria in Barcelona as a cover, passing it off as a call center to justify the massive registration of telephone lines with the providers. The SIM cards (more than 60,000 ready-to-use and another 10,000 brand new at the time of the intervention) were purchased from different providers and activated with false identities. Constant rotation. The sending numbers changed very frequently automatically, remaining active only for brief periods after registration to make tracking difficult for telephone companies and security agents. When the operators detected mass shipments from certain numbers, they had already been replaced by others. For specific cases, the operator also had a briefcase with a portable SIMBOX that allowed him to work from any location (even from a moving vehicle) using a Wi-Fi connection or mobile network. Automation. From the Civil Guard they assure that, although the infrastructure could contact thousands of people simultaneously, these were not completely random shipments. The criminal groups that rented the service previously studied the profiles of potential victims and directed the messages and calls toward specific groups. In the case investigated, they mainly targeted Russian and Ukrainian citizens residing in Spain, contacting them in their own languages ​​and posing as the National Police or employees of the Bank of Spain to pressure them and obtain bank details or high-value transfers. According to mention El País, 170,000 euros were stolen from one of the victims. How the network was dismantled. The Civil Guard identified the operator after several complaints filed in Aspe and Novelda (Alicante). The agents traced the telephone lines used in the scams to the Barcelona cafeteria, which they placed under surveillance. A man frequently left the establishment carrying large boxes that he transported to his home. Three searches, in the home, the cafeteria and a storage room, allowed the entire infrastructure to be intervened. The detainee, a 41-year-old Ukrainian computer scientist, was initially released with precautionary measures, but was arrested again when he tried to leave the country through the El Prat airport, according to account the middle Vigo Lighthouse. Third infrastructure of this type in the world. According to Indian the acting head of the Civil Guard Command in Alicante, Francisco Poyato, this is the third farm of its kind dismantled worldwide, the second in Europe and the first in Spain. The investigation remains open. Given the value of the material seized and that it was an infrastructure that provided services to multiple criminal groups, the Civil Guard estimates that the money swindled could amount to several million euros. Cover image | Civil Guard In Xataka | This is the new scam with fake phone numbers that already has victims: Google’s AI results are the ‘culprit’

Temu and AliExpress are selling the cheapest V-16 beacons on the market. And it’s very easy to know if it’s a scam.

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There are 44 days left until the connected V-16 beacon becomes mandatory in our country. There are, in fact, 43 days left if you are reading this on November 18, 2025. And I don’t want to burden anyone but there is obviously less room for maneuver with each passing day. We already know about the “evil of many…” but I will tell you a secret: if you are about to buy the beacon, you are by no means the only one in that position. Obviously, this has caused sales of the device to skyrocket. And with it have come the offers and, of course, the doubts about whether we are buying a valid product or not. Neither the DGT nor the consumer associations have helped with the doubts. And, on the market, there are V-16 beacons but not all of them are valid. Despite everything, you can find specific offers and bargains by finding this product, even below 10 euros. Therefore, we are going to explain how we can check whether or not we are facing a scam. Is it a scam? To understand why so much confusion must be taken into account that the approval of having to mount a V-16 beacon on the car It closed in 2021. Then the DGT decided that this device would replace the emergency lights and V-16 beacons began to arrive on the market. In 2022, however, it was confirmed that only V-16 beacons that could be used would be valid. contact DGT 3.0. They are called “V-16 connected beacons”, those that have a SIM card inside and that must guarantee connectivity for 12 years. That is, all V-16 beacons without connectivity (mainly sold before 2022) are not valid. This regulatory change is what has led consumer associations like the OCU to affirm that a connected V-16 beacon, the only valid one, “rarely goes below 40 euros.” But this is not entirely true. First, because it is very easy to find approved V-16 beacons for about 30 euros. Second, because there are real bargains that allow us to buy this device for less than even 10 euros. With that price it is logical to think that we could be facing a scam. Or, simply, that we are buying a V-16 beacon without realizing that they lack that connectivity that is essential for approval. The doubts multiply because Temu either AliExpress They offer beacons well below the 40 euros floor price recommended by the OCU. Pages specialized in discounts, such as Chollometer also offers aggressive discounts on some V-16 beacons. Do you want one for 9.99 euros? Yes. And it’s not a scam. Not, at least, in all cases. It’s all in the certificate number With a month and a half left before the new regulations come into force, there is not a day on pages like Aliexpress, Temu or Chollómetro in which a V-16 beacon is not offered at ridiculous prices. We give you some examples: V-16 beacon offered on Aliexpress V-16 beacon offered on Aliexpress The two previous beacons are sold on AliExpress at an almost absurd price. Of course, the fact that they can be purchased for just over two and four euros should make us suspicious. And indeed, none of the above options are valid. In fact, in the product rating of one of them, there is a comment specifying that they do not have connectivity. However, let’s look at another case. Beacon offer at 9.98 euros at Chollometro Redirection to Temu where it is shown that the beacon can be purchased for 9.99 euros The above case explains well how we can find a connected and completely valid V-16 beacon at a very low price. The connected V-16 beacon shown above is an offer that we have found on Chollometro, a website from which it is redirected to Temu where it is noted that the price of the beacon is 59.99 euros but that it is on sale for 29.98 euros. As if that were not enough, it is possible to buy it (red box) for 9.99 euros. The price should make us suspicious. But we go to the product description where it is mentioned that it has IP54 water resistance, it is promised that it is connected to DGT 3.0, which meets all the approvals… and its certificate is shown: IDIADA PC25060196. The latter is especially important because it is the data that certifies whether or not the connected V-16 beacon that we are purchasing is fake or meets the required requirements or not. To check it, let’s go to the DGT page. In this linkTraffic lists each and every one of the approved devices. We can filter the list by the date of approval, by the name of the manufacturer, the name of the product… and very importantly, the certificate number of all the products that we can even download is shown. In addition, it has a search engine, as we see in the following image. DGT list with all approved connected V-16 beacons It is enough to enter the certificate number, it is not even necessary to specify IDIADA or LCOE (the two laboratories that approve this product in Spain), to confirm that the V-16 beacon that we want to buy has all the technical requirements, including its manufacturer, the name of the exact model and when and where the approval was certified. In the case of the previous connected V-16 beacon, we are talking about a product certified, indeed, by IDIADA. It was homologated on June 30, 2025, the exact model name is V16 Beacon Light IoT CH-020L, sold under the Raykong brand and homologation requested by Limburg Technology Limited. Below we leave you the image in which this information is shown and the certificate that the DGT attaches with this data. Search for the beacon purchased in Temu Certificate of the connected V-16 beacon sold in Temu As we have seen, before purchasing the V-16 beacon it is easy to check whether we … Read more

They stole almost 23,000 euros from him with the SIM swapping scam. Now Vodafone and Ibercaja will have to return them

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First, for no apparent reason, you are left without line or data coverage on your mobile. The next thing is to realize that your bank account has been emptied. This nightmare is the result of ‘SIM swapping’one of the most dangerous scams and protagonist of the sentence we are discussing today. what has happened. The Plasencia court has sentenced Vodafone and Ibercaja to return all the money to a client affected by this type of scam, as reported in Economist & Jurist. Vodafone issued a duplicate SIM card to the victim, but it was not she who requested it, but rather a third party who used it to obtain virtual bank cards without her authorization. When he reported it, the bank returned several transfers made by the scammers, but they did not cover the entire amount; There were still 22,833 euros to recover. The ruling concludes that both the bank and Vodafone are responsible and must replace that amount. Why is it importantand. The ruling places the responsibility for this type of scam on companies, not only banks but also operators. Vodafone tried to pass all responsibility to the bank, while Ibercaja alleged that it was not a security failure on its part, but rather negligence on the part of the client. The sentence is clear: both are responsible; Vodafone for not identifying who requested the duplicate SIM and the bank for not having implemented protection measures to avoid this fraud, which had been known for a long time. The ruling concludes that “generic warnings from banks cannot be used to impute negligence to the user”. Precedents. There have been other favorable rulings for those affected by ‘SIM swapping’, such as this one from the Supreme Court that condemned an entity (also Ibercaja, by the way) to return 56,474.63 euros. The cases in which the operators are also held responsible are less common, but they also exist. In 2022, the Court of First Instance No. 15 of Zaragoza sentenced Telefónica to pay 2,680 euros to another victim of this scam. Fines. Although the operators are not always sentenced to pay the stolen amount, they have received numerous fines. The AEDP has already fined different operators for allowing this practice for an amount of 6.7 million euros. Digi has been one of the most affected companies, with a initial fine of 70,000 euros that finally It reached 270,000 euros. SIM swapping. The mobile phone has become the center of our digital life. With it we access and identify ourselves in all types of services, also in our bank, which is why it has become such a valuable object for scammers. ‘SIM swapping’ consists of the scammer requesting a duplicate of our SIM card in order to control our bank accounts using SMS verification. The problem usually occurs due to a lack of security measures in the operators’ stores, which fail to identify who is going to request the duplicate. Image | Pexels, Vodafone In Xataka | What you can do to avoid “SIM swapping”, the cyberattack that wreaks havoc and allows bank accounts to be emptied

Iniesta promised them happy retirement. Now they are investigating him in Peru for an alleged $600,000 scam

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Andres Iniesta it’s news. And it is for something that has little to do with football, sports or entertainment. On this occasion the headlines are monopolized in the pages of the judicial chronicle on account of a controversy that arose in Peruwhere the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the former midfielder for his role in an alleged chain of scams against businessmen in the country for a sum of around $600,000. Iniesta’s surroundings already has denied the accusations and talks about “malicious” information to take advantage of his image. It is not the first time that the former soccer player has been in the spotlight for his role as a businessman: years ago he did it for his wineries, both for a dispute with the Treasury as for your losses. What has happened? That the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Iniesta for an alleged “aggravated fraud.” The news has been reported by the country’s media, such as The Republic, Trome either Libero and it has been echoed in Spain by Efe agency, The Country either The Sixthwho has even spoken with one of those affected. Basically, the Public Ministry has opened a tax file on the former soccer player following a complaint related to the company NSN Barcelona, ​​linked to Iniesta. In the Prosecutor’s document (reproduced partially by The Republic) it can be read that the complaint is filed against Iniesta and at least two other people for “the alleged commission of crimes against property in the form of aggravated fraud.” The document also details that the “prestige” of the former Barça player played a key role in raising funds and committing the alleged scam. What is investigated? The facts reported by Gucho Entertainment and other Peruvian businessmen who claim to have invested around $600,000 in a series of events (sports and artistic) that supposedly had the support of NSN Sudamérica, a subsidiary of the company linked to Iniesta. His name would have made it easier for the Peruvian businessmen who have now gone to court to hand over thousands of dollars to organize a series of shows. Specifically, four are mentioned: the Upa Upa Fest, a friendly between the club Scientist of Cusco and the National of Ecuadora K-pop festival and another legends match between Peru and Spain. Of all of them, only one was held, the Upa Upa Fest, and it did not turn out as investors expected. In fact, it left considerable losses. And what happened? The problem is that the firm that was supposed to be in charge of the executive production of the events, NSN Sudamérica, declared bankruptcy in June 2024. The subsidiary entered into the liquidation process and allegedly did not return the money invested by the Peruvian businessmen to finance the rest of the shows. “No notification. We found out that the company was in liquidation. They never took responsibility for anything, although they were supposed to do so” reported on Monday Emilio Lozano, one of the supposedly affected businessmen, in an interview with ‘And now Sonsoles’, a La Sexta program. What does that have to do with Iniesta? That NSN South America is a delegation of NSN Barcelona. The former La Roja footballer himself celebrated the launch in 2023, according to statements collected by The Country: “We are very excited to be present in a country like Peru and a continent like South America to continue growing and promoting our values ​​around the world.” The subsidiary was established at the beginning of that year by a group of Peruvian and Spanish businessmen, the starting signal for attracting investors. The Prosecutor’s Office document not only cites the former soccer player, but it does underline that his name was essential for raising funds. How key was it? The writing is very clear. “The facts that will be detailed below involve Andrés Iniesta, who is a figure of international recognition for his achievements in professional football as a former player of the Club Barcelona of Spain and having been a former world champion with the Spanish team, who using this prestige authorized and supported the foundation of NSN Sudamérica to act as a subsidiary of his company NSN Barcelona throughout South America. However, that prestige was only used to raise capital from Peruvian businessmen under the deception that they were going to be invested in large events that were approved in coordination between NSN Barcelona and NSN South America,” reads the writing of the Prosecutor’s Office cited by The Republic. At the moment the agency has initiated preliminary proceedings for an alleged crime against property, a phase that will last several weeks. What does the company say? Mark distances. Through a blunt statement Iniesta and NSN make several points clear. To begin with, they “outrightly” deny the accusations that have been published in recent days. Second, they claim that the information has been published “maliciously” with the purpose of taking advantage of the image of “a public figure” like Iniesta. “We trust that the Peruvian justice system will clarify this situation very soon and we reserve the right to file appropriate actions in defense of our work and honor, requesting maximum rigor in the information published regarding this case,” concludes the official statement. From the ex-footballer’s entourage they have something beyond and they have explained to La Sexta that the former soccer player and NSN are also affected: they created a subsidiary in Peru “led by people who were not the right ones and harmed them and third parties.” “Those in charge made a mistake when it came to putting the right people in place,” abound. Images | Wikipedia and Carlos Fernández (Unsplash) In Xataka | If the question is how to add more epic to LaLiga, in Russia it is very clear: with AI, many muscles and topics

Germany wants to end the plug-in hybrid scam. Your industry is at stake

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We do not know how much plug-in hybrids consume and it is not very clear what they pollute. We do not know because it is very difficult to understand how the driver of a vehicle of this type behaves and, intrinsically, it is just as difficult to replicate these conditions in a laboratory test. That is why plug-in hybrids consumed just one liter of fuel according to official approvals. That’s why they now consume much more. And that is why for entities like Transport&Environment, they are cars that They consume seven times more than they say. All of this has put in the spotlight a technology that looks like the perfect bridge to jump from combustion car to electric. With plug-in hybrids that travel more than 100 kilometers in purely electric mode, the solution seems perfect for those clients who they do not dare to take the step to a pure electric car. With Europe determined to make the jump to the electric car and some clients who do not fully embrace this new paradigm, Germany has chosen to position them as the logical evolution. To convince the rest of Europe, he wants to put a stop to those who use the plug-in hybrid as a pure combustion vehicle. And why do you take this step? Because your industry is at stake. More combustion please Just a few days ago, Germany and Italy presented themselves to Europe as the guarantors of the combustion engines from 2035. In front they have Spain and France who have teamed up so that we forget about this type of mechanics from 2035 if they are not neutral in carbon emissions. This would leave out plug-in hybrids. The plan goes through a review of objectivesan analysis of how the European Union is adapting to the new regulations. A process that Germans and Italians want to take advantage of to modify the regulations already approved. Germany’s latest proposal has been launched from the VDA association (Verband der Automobilindustrie), which encompasses German industry manufacturers. These manufacturers, including those who said they would make the leap to electric cars even before 2035 (such as mercedes either Audi) are now committed to maintaining combustion engines. They assure that there is not enough demand of electric cars to guarantee production and anticipate massive layoffs if the jump to “neutral in carbon emissions” is made. What is now proposed is to keep plug-in hybrids alive in exchange for the driver being obliged to recharge the car in a specific kilometer cycle. Although it has not been specified how long that number of cycles would be, the punishment has been proposed: limiting the power of the car. Technically, the car would have a software that counts the number of kilometers that the vehicle has not been used in purely electric mode. At a certain point, if the car is not recharged, the vehicle’s power is limited as a clear reminder that the time has come to plug in the car. The obvious intention is to prevent someone from buying this type of car and never using the car in electric mode. Although from a purely economic point of view it doesn’t make much senseright now in Spain if you buy a plug-in hybrid you can receive a minimum of 2,500 euros discount with the MOVES III Plan (if the car does not exceed 45,000 euros before VAT is applied) but counts as an electric car if the range is greater than 90 kilometers, increasing the aid to 4,500 euros discount and 7,000 euros if a vehicle is scrapped. In addition, many cities have advantages such as free parking in zones with limited hours, entering the interior of the ZBE or using the lane Bus-HOV despite only having one passenger inside. In return for maintaining combustion engines, Germany wants to put a stop to traps that operate in a similar way to AdBlue, for example, which prevents starting a diesel car whose tank is completely empty. It is not the first proposal to arrive for plug-in hybrids either. On other occasions the possibility of fence cities using GPS so that this type of automobile can only operate in completely electric mode within the city or very specific places in it (schools, hospitals…). This is something that can already be done and German manufacturers such as BMW has been mounting it for years with options in the browser that allow you to move only in electric mode within the municipalities and they save battery (or even produce it by converting the car into an electric generator) if passing through a city is contemplated on the route. Photo | bmw In Xataka | That people don’t charge their plug-in hybrid cars is not good for Toyota: so they have decided to change our habits with an app

The US has seized $15 billion in bitcoin. This is how the terrifying “pig slaughter” crypto scam works

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The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has confiscated about 15 billion dollars in the form of bitcoin. This fortune was in the hands of an alleged fraudster named Chen Zhi who supervised a gigantic crypto scam. One that sadly is becoming more and more frequent and is now known as the “pig slaughter” or the “pig fattening.” The name is a no-brainer. what has happened. We are facing the largest asset seizure in the history of the DoJ. The action focuses on the founder and president of an international conglomerate called Prince Holding Group based in Cambodia. Chen Zhi, 38, also known as “Vincent,” has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. The scam used has many peculiarities. The “pig slaughter”. In English they use the name “pig butchering” for this type of crypto scam, and here we could translate it as “pig slaughter” or “pig fattening.” The process that scammers follow to deceive their victims is as follows: Search and contact: Scammers contact victims (the “pigs”) through social media, dating apps, or direct messages. To do this, they use fake and attractive profiles. Fattening (trust building): for weeks a personal, friendly or romantic relationship is builtand the scammer gains the trust of the victim. This scammer usually presents himself as a successful person with “secret” knowledge in the world of investments. You invest, you will earn a lot of money: once trust is gained, the scammer presents the victim with a “guaranteed” and very lucrative investment opportunity, usually in cryptocurrencies. And indeed, it seems that you win: after a small investment and to reinforce hope and confidence, the scammer allows the victim to withdraw a small profit. The victim becomes even more confident. Invest more, this works– With the victim now encouraged, he is persuaded to invest much larger amounts, often emptying his savings or even taking out loans The slaughter: When the scammer determines that the victim has invested all they can, they execute the fraud. It blocks the victim’s withdrawal of funds and denies access to that account. Excuses (taxes, verification fees) are made to try to request even more money Disappearance: The scammer cuts off all communication, the fraudulent platform disappears and the victim’s money has been stolen and laundered by the criminal network. A multinational scam. According to prosecutors in the case, Prince Group operates in more than 30 countries and secretly grew to become “one of the largest transnational criminal organizations in Asia.” The company presented itself as a legitimate real estate development and financial services company. Dumb with studies. Although it may seem incredible, this scam manages to deceive people with advanced training. Grace Yuen of Gaso—an international anti-scam organization— explained on BBC that this type of fraud affects all types of profiles, even those that we would think would be somewhat more protected: “About 80% or more of the victims have university degrees and a large percentage of them have a master’s or doctorate. They are victims of all branches: from nurses and lawyers to computer scientists or telecommunications engineers. They are all highly educated people, usually between the ages of 24 and the end of 40. Although now we are also seeing older victims.” human trafficking. The organization allegedly operated forced labor camps in Cambodia. According to the indictment, Prince Group operated at least 10 complexes of this type in which hundreds of people were forced to work under threat of violence executing this scam with victims from all over the world. Two of the facilities were equipped with 1,250 mobile phones that controlled 76,000 accounts on a popular social media platform. Bribes. According to the investigation, Zhi and his network of managers managed to use their political influence in several countries to protect their criminal network. Thus, they are accused of paying bribes to public officials to prevent law enforcement from dismantling these operations. The stolen money was laundered through online gambling or cryptocurrency mining platforms, as well as spent on trips on private jets or yachts and also on works of art. On the run. The accusation of the DoJ has been added to that of the US Department of the Treasury. Said organism has imposed sanctions against Zhi and more than 100 associated individuals and entities. Chen Zhi, of Chinese origin, has become a fugitive, and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted and arrested. Image | Kanchanara In Xataka | The founder of WhatsApp spared no expense when decorating his mansions and yachts with very expensive furniture. Most were fake.

how it works and how to avoid this scam to steal money by earning your trust

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Let’s explain What is the Like Scama new type of online deception that already Police and Civil Guard have warned. It is a scam that is being given in instantaneous messaging applications such as Telegram and social networks, and that will lead you to steal money after earning your trust. We are going to start the article explaining the mechanics and the procedure of this deception with which thieves earn your trust before Timing you. Then we will give you A series of tips To avoid falling into the trap. How is this scam First, scammers are going to contact you through different platforms, from Telegram to social networks. There, they will propose to you perform simple online tasks in exchange for moneysomething apparently easy that will not take you long. These tasks are things like Give and receive likes on social networksfollow profiles, etc. In exchange for this, they promise you small economic amounts for your time. With this they will feed both your trust and your greed. The tempting of all this is that At first they may pay you In exchange for what you are doing, they will give you small amounts of money. That is when your trust will be gained. When they have already convinced that they can help you earn money with little effort, they will rise to “higher groups”, where they will propose make investments in exchange for a lot of money. When you make these investments, cybercounts will simply disappear keeping your money. In addition, they will also stop paying for any task. And what is worse, the personal data you have given them to make the first payments are also possible to use them to Open bank accounts in your name and get more money at your expense. In addition, there are times when they can ask for money in exchange for continuing with these methods of winning, money that will also take. How to avoid falling this scam The first thing you should always do is distrust any method to earn fast moneysince everyone is usually deception online. It is sweet to be able to win some euros with simple tasks such as giving likes in accounts, but it is also a very common deception. Besides, suspect you who are asking for money or perform major actions. It doesn’t matter if you have been paid something, they are still people who do not know, so if you easily ascend in their ranges to be able to do greater actions, you have to suspect. Another important thing is Never give bank or personal dataand if they ask you right away you must be alert. Finally, no one with good intentions will ask you for money to continue working, even if it is an alleged “bargain” job. You must also suspect est. In Xataka Basics | Scam of the false winner on Facebook: how this scam works when you participate in competitions and how to avoid it

The scam of the son in trouble brings the police and the AI is getting worse

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“Hello, mom. My phone has broken” like this or with some similar message begins the known as Son scam in trouble. This scam modality has been circulating for a long time and brought to the head authorities for its High effectiveness. The National Police has dismantled an organization that was dedicated to this scam and that it cheated large amounts of money. It has not been (nor will it) the only one. 32 detainees. The investigation began nine months ago and has resulted in 32 arrests in the province of Valencia, of which four acted as “mule” captors. Were . Thanks to these arrests, 63 complaints filed throughout the country have been resolved, whose total amount amounts to no less than 320,000 euros. In addition, the police have managed to block several fraudulent transfers and return to the victims more than 10,000 euros. A recurring scam. Although it is a large operation, it is not the first organization that is disjointed that used this modality of fraud. A little over a year ago The Civil Guard arrested a hundred people that came to cheat 850,000 euros. In July of last year an operation was also carried out with 65 detainees who had scammed 410,000 euros. And there has been more. Just a few days ago A neighbor from A Coruña who cheated 5,000 euroshe denounced and thanks to this, those responsible were arrested. Too effective. Scams that come by WhatsApp There are many, but few who get so many victims and figures so high. This modality of fraud is very effective, which makes it the most dangerous. According to the Civil Guardscammers study the victims, who have a child emancipated by studies or travel. The scammers create “an instant emotional connection after which they move the urgency with messages of despair, causing the parental protection reaction.” We normally distrust when they write to us from unknown numbers, but in this case the pretext of having lost the main mobile is used, so the main doubt is resolved. If the scammers have chosen their victim well, it is very easy to create the story and end up sending a bizum to their supposed son or daughter. The next level: AI. Although they are not the most common, there are cases in which Voices generated by AI have been used to cheat To the victims. It was the case of an American citizen who received a call in which he listened to his daughter to shout that they were going to harm him if he did not pay. The National Police He has warned about what they call ‘Voice Hacking’ and gave a trick to protect us: Use a family password. And how do they clon the voice? With tools like Vall-e only Three seconds are necessarysomething very easy to get social networks. Protect yourself. Although the authorities are making efforts such as the operation that has taken place in Valencia, eradicating it completely seems quite complicated so the best is prevention. The first thing if you receive a message of this type is to try to write or call the original number to see if the person answers. You can also ask you to send you an audio, although it is much better to make a video call since you avoid a possible ‘voice hacking’. In short, if someone asks for money and also has a hurry, always distrust. In Xataka | After the Sonny Angel, the madness of Labubu arrives in Spain. They are exhausted everywhere and there are already scams and falsifications

how this scam works when you participate in competitions and how to avoid it

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Let’s explain How it works and how to avoid the scam of the false winner On Facebook. It happens when you participate in some kind of raffle in this social network, and the scammer will respond to your comment to make you believe that you are the person you have won. We are going to start the article explaining the way in which these deceptions work and some of the variants you can find. And then we will tell you how you can avoid falling into these traps. How this scam This deception works When you have participated in a Facebook contest Require you to leave a comment. You know, one of those in which you ask you to mention something or leave a comment in some way to participate. So what the cybercriminal does is answer your message saying that you have won. Will use an account in which or hide who is or directly get through the artist or entity that is doing the raffle. In your comment, it is normal for this person I leave you a link To supposedly access your prize. This link will take you to a website designed to deceive you and steal data with forms to fill out to collect your prize, and in some cases also to steal your account or steal money. This type of deception has been on Facebook for a long time, and There are several different types to those who can face. His way of proceeding is similar, but his ability to deceive yourself by making someone vary. There are some that are quite simple and easy to distinguish, but there are others in which cloning names and profile photos, and it can be easier to snack in them. In the end, with what these scammers play is with your desire to carry a contest. When you receive the notification you will see the falsified name and image image and some first words of congratulations, and that can push you to press and act in a precipitous way. How to avoid this deception The most important thing if someone responds to a comment with which you participate in a contest and tells you that you have won is Verify the information with the real account in whose publication you commented. When these raffles are made, a publication is always made announcing the winners, and if they have not done it verifies the times and how long they have given to participate. The important thing is that Don’t rush clicking on links. In fact, normally They will not tell you to tell you that you have wonjust a new publication is going to be made. Therefore, by default you should suspect these messages. Be very careful if you write to you by private message That I get to Messenger. In many cases the scammers will write you directly. Do not trust if apparently it is the same accountbecause both the name of an account and its profile image usually falsify you. In case of doubt, Contact the original account in whose publication you have commented. Tell them the message you have received, because they can confirm that it is a hoax, and you will even help them to notify the rest of the participants not to fall into these scams. In any case, the measures can be summarized in cold blood and verify the results of the contest in which you have participated. Especially cold blood, don’t get carried away by emotion. In Xataka Basics | How to configure your Facebook or Instagram account to be able to recover it if you lose it or hack you

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