Alex Trelinski
FOUR people have been arrested in Alicante and Cartagena after stealing over €23,000 from a bank account via a ‘smishing’ scam.
The thieves swindled a victim after sending a bogus text message to him allegedly from his bank.
The account holder opened up a link which downloaded spyware that allowed the cybercriminals access to his personal details.
They then made transfers to their own accounts.
The Policia Nacional’s cyber crime division probed where the money went to after receiving a complaint in November.
Investigations identified five recipients of the money, four of whom were arrested.
Police are trying to locate the fifth gang member and to establish whether the criminals robbed other unsuspecting victims.
Authorities stress that no bank will ever ask for digital banking access codes, or other personal data, via an SMS message and link.
Messages that attempt to convey urgency like threatening an imminent account ‘lockout’ or offering prizes and special offers should also not be trusted.
READ MORE:
- Police in Spain issue guidelines on how to avoid phishing scams as they bust massive network of cybercriminals
- ‘Phishing’ and ‘Smishing’ gang arrested for mass internet banking scam based in Costa Blanca area of Spain
- Costa Blanca-based ‘smishing’ con fleeces €600,000 out of unsuspecting bank customers in Spain
