The Internet has brought with it positive aspects that improve our quality of life, but it has also given rise to certain situations that endanger our privacy. In fact, cybercrime is already part of our daily routine and, as technology advances, the deception mechanisms are more sophisticated, the consequences of which can even be fatal. One of the most resonant scams is “spoofing”. What is it, how does it affect you and what is the trick to escape it?
We live in a time when the digital age has taken over almost all of our activities and we can no longer leave home without our mobile phones or work without having to use the Internet almost obligatorily. Times have changed radically and now we spend most of our time on the Internet.
But we must bear in mind that the Internet is not a safe place by any means. We are always susceptible to being deceived by a group of criminals who want to steal our most sensitive information. Therefore, it is important to know the risks to which we are exposed and to avoid them at the right time so as not to end up being the victim of an illicit activity.
At this point, the Civil Guard has placed special emphasis on one of the most dangerous techniques that exist and which many users tend to fall into. We are referring specifically to the “spoofing” scam.
What is “spoofing”?
To define this term, we will focus on its shortened first part, “spoof,” which means to deceive or trick, and its full word, “spoofing,” which would be translated into Spanish as “impersonate.” Therefore, it is a series of illegal techniques that an individual uses to impersonate an entity or another person in order to take over the credentials of their victim.
There are several types of spoofing that are used as social engineering to attract attention. One of the most popular types of spoofing is phishing, which involves sending fraudulent emails that hide a false identity to make people believe that a real company or person is contacting you at that moment.
Smishing is also often used as a scam, which is very similar to the previous one, except that this time the sending platform is the SMS platform, that is, mobile phones. Here, impersonation remains the main camouflage used by hackers as a swindle to persuade the most gullible users.
Finally, vishing is less common, but equally damaging. It is the strategy of tricking people by using a smooth talk during a telephone conversation. In this case, the sender changes the caller ID to impersonate a well-known company and gather as much information as possible.
Civil Guard
@Civil Guard
#Spoofing is a trick that tricks recipients of a message into pretending to be another person or entity. Identify a spoofed email and avoid falling into the attacker’s traps:
☑Verify the authenticity of the sender
☑Check the email header
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https://t.co/L2scpD2Y9r https://t.co/Yw4okFwb1FJuly 18, 2024 • 10:00 PM
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How do I know if I’m really being scammed?
It is very important to receive a good education against fraud and to know specifically whether you are being deceived or not. For this reason, INCIBE (National Institute of Cybersecurity) has put into circulation a series of indications to prevent this type of crime:
- Verify the authenticity of the sender: you should always check the email address that sent you the information to see if it is real.
- Look at the subject and content of the message: the first thing you should check here is the language they use to deceive you and any spelling mistakes, as well as avoiding clicking on links or attachments that could be suspicious.
- The domain of the website is key: see if a URL is legitimate and legal and look for security signals, such as “https” instead of “http.”
