Officers from the @ Team of the Civil Guard, specialists in cybersecurity, have initiated proceedings against a 47-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man, both residents of Tarragona. They are being investigated as alleged perpetrators of an internet fraud crime valued at nearly 19,000 euros.
The investigation began after a complaint from the victims, who reported having contracted a mortgage through a supposed online intermediary company linked to a financial institution. This website turned out to be fraudulent. After signing the contract and following the instructions of the alleged intermediary, the victims made several transfers for various concepts, accumulating the defrauded amount.
'Web phishing' is a type of scam where, through psychological manipulation techniques, cybercriminals use a fraudulent website that pretends to offer a legitimate service to attract victims, steal personal data, or demand advance payments for non-existent services.
During the verification process, the real financial institution was contacted, confirming that the recipient account for the deposits did not belong to them, nor was the alleged signatory/intermediary part of their staff. With these findings, the @ Team agents from Santa Cruz de Tenerife identified and located the accused in Tarragona, requesting the Judicial Police Team of Salou to investigate both for the fraud crime.
The Civil Guard has issued a series of recommendations to avoid online scams, such as verifying the URL (looking for the “s” in https and the security padlock), checking the financial institution with the Bank of Spain, avoiding clicking on suspicious links, and being wary of disproportionate offers or advance payments without guarantees. They also remind citizens that complaints for computer fraud can be filed electronically through the Civil Guard's Electronic Headquarters or website, or in person at any station.
