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The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, appeared publicly to make an assessment of the effects of Covid-19 in Spain shortly after the pandemic showed its true magnitude. A marathon intervention in which, among other surprising data, it was highlighted that Internet traffic had grown 80 percent . An obvious consequence of the confinement decreed in the state of alarm, but which highlights the current reality of millions of Spaniards.

A state of permanent connection that has become an opportunity for cybercriminals . Organized networks that operate internationally and are adapting their modus operandi to use the coronavirus as a hook. These are some of the modalities detected by the security forces.

A sign alerting about phishing. THE WORLD

Online shopping

The online purchase of masks or protective suits is a clear example of the adaptability of cybercriminals. This fraud consists of creating web pages in which fake companies offer masks, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting gels and various medical devices that are currently in high demand by citizens and administrations to combat the pandemic. When the victim makes the purchase, he provides information such as the card number, which the scammers will later use to seize the money in the checking account.

As occurs during the Christmas commercial campaign or black friday , periods in which this type of fraud spreads, the scammers wait several days to strike the final blow and thus capture the largest number of victims.

Tips to avoid scams.

To avoid becoming one of them, the National Police remember that whenever we go to make a purchase on the internet, we must make sure that we are on a secure website , checking that the address begins with the https hypertext transfer protocol. An action that is also very useful is to check the opinions of other customers on that page, since if it is a cover, they usually warn you.

Sick family member

Cybercriminals often have little scruple, so it is not surprising to police experts that they even use the hook of a sick family member to trick the victim.

Antonio Gómez , head of the Cybercrime unit of the Malaga Province Police Station, explains that the criminals pose as clinic staff and telephone, explaining to the interlocutor that a family member has been hospitalized for coronavirus and that a series of treatments must be paid for that improves his state.

We are facing organized networks that come to enable call centers from which they carry out a bombardment of calls, explains Gómez, who points out that they rely on social engineering to overcome the doubts of the victims. The context of fear and nervousness derived from the pandemic plays a fundamental role in this.

"They contact hundreds and hundreds of people and it is profitable for them to only bite one," adds this researcher.

Phishing of the health administration

A true classic of cyber-glasses. Like a virus, it mutates to adapt to new scenarios in which to capture more victims. Its modus operandi is less refined than the methods that require an interlocution and is based on the massive sending of emails . If criminals traditionally pose as a bank, in this case they supplant a ministry , regional administration or health institution that supposedly claims important data. In order to facilitate them, he requests that a link be accessed with a form that is usually the tool through which the victim provides sensitive information, which is accessed by the scammers and subsequently robbed of bank accounts, the aforementioned source points out.

As in the case of bank phishing , the police authorities remind that the administrations do not ask their clients for passwords by email or mobile messages.

ERTE phishing

It is exactly the same as the previous one, but giving a twist to the staging. In this variety, the email is supposedly sent by an employment service and is aimed at potential people affected by a Temporary Employment Regulation File (ERTE), who are asked for a series of documentation to receive the salary and which they finally end up revealing. data that allows scammers to access their accounts.

The avalanche of companies that have embraced ERTEs as a consequence of Covid-19, which has affected more than 600,000 workers in the country, has provided an ideal ecosystem for the spread of this type of cyber fraud. That is why it is recommended to make sure that the sender of the email is who he says he is.

Along with these crimes typical of the expansion of new technologies, the police authorities warn of the distortion produced by the spread of hoaxes and information without contrast. A practice that seems to be increasing in these times and that has even led the National Police to develop a guide to help detect them.

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Know more

  • National Police
  • Spain
  • Internet
  • Pedro Sánchez
  • Andalusia
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19

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