The moment there is money at stake, hackers immediately appear with the intention of profiting. Surely we have received more than one SMS in which we are informed of an alleged failure in the bank account (from a bank that we do not even have) and asks us for certain personal information to solve it. Error, since this data will inevitably end up in the hands of hackers. Now that the Government of Spain is giving the 200 euro bonus to families with less purchasing power, these pirates, of course, are going to try to get a piece of it.
A few weeks ago we explained the steps we had to follow to be able to request this help: enter the Treasury website, identify ourselves with Cl@ve or digital certificate, and fill out a simple (although confusing) online form. Once filled out, we only have to wait up to 3 months to find out if they grant it to us or, otherwise, it has been rejected. It is estimated that 4 million Spaniards will be entitled to this aid, and more than twice that number will almost certainly request it to “see if there is luck.” And that opens a myriad of doors for hackers.
The “lack of payment information” SMS
The social networks of the Civil Guard and the National Police are excellent platforms to keep up to date with all the possible digital threats that could endanger our security. And the latest campaign that hackers are carrying out is none other than deceiving users by posing as the Treasury itself.
Civil Guard 🇪🇸
@Civil Guard
⚠️#ALERTA ‼️ Detected #smishing campaign impersonating the Tax Agency. Request to update the payment information to receive financial aid of €200 from the Government. #NoPiques, the objective of fraud is to steal personal and bank data.
https://t.co/e8hexhXPb5 https://t.co/nMMre1yYn0March 5, 2023 • 21:39
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Tax Agency notifications: we have not been able to process the aid of 200 euros to your bank account. due to missing payment information, please update from here:
The goal of these bulk SMS is to trick victims into clicking on the link at the bottom of the SMS and updating their payment method in the hope of receiving aid income. Actually, the effect is the opposite. By entering this link, what we are doing is providing our bank details to hackers, who will not hesitate to leave our bank account dry.
I have fallen for the scam, what do I do?
IF we have received this SMS, but we have not opened it, we do not have to worry. It is enough to delete it from the mobile and continue leading a normal life. If we have entered, but we have not entered any bank details, nothing happens either. But if we have followed the steps, and fallen for the scam, then we have a problem.
The first thing we must do is call our bank to report what happened, and block all movements that have been made without our permission. We must also change the access codes and PIN codes to prevent them from being used to access our bank details. And, of course, review the account’s movements on a daily basis to detect any anomalous activity.
Finally, collect all the evidence (the SMS, link, bank movements, etc) and file a complaint with the National Police or the Civil Guard. Once filed, with it you can go to the bank to recover the money. And, if they cause problems, a claim to the Bank of Spain guarantees you, almost certainly, to recover it.
