Movistar, the main telephone operator in Spain, has issued an alert to its customers about a new telephone scam known as vishing or the double call scam. According to the warning posted on its website, its customers are urged to notify friends and family to avoid falling into this trap.
Scammers make calls where they impersonate mobile operators or service companies, as is happening with Microsoft technical service, with the purpose of stealing personal information or making you change companiessays the company.
The criminals carry out two calls: in the first, they present themselves as the user’s current company, informing about an alleged imminent rate increase; In the second, they pose as another company that offers an improved commercial offer to attract the customer.
The way this deception works is through two calls, a first where they present themselves as the current mobile or supply company, informing of an imminent price increase on the contracted rate and a second call where they pose as another company that offers a better commercial offer when contracting their rates, Movistar highlights.
Likewise, the telephone company reminds that, by law, any change in the conditions of service must be communicated in writing to a minimum of 30 days in advance, and not through phone calls. The company recommends that users who receive two calls related to the same topic in a short period of time, be suspicious and verify the identity of the person making the call.
Some tips to prevent this scam:
Among some of the measures suggested by Movistar to avoid falling into this scam, the following stand out:
- Keep in mind that changes in conditions and rate variations must be communicated in writing 30 days in advance.
- Be suspicious if you receive two calls about the same topic on the same day or very close together.
- Verify if the new company is properly identified.
- Write down the number they are calling from and let them know that you will call back.
- Find the company’s phone number and contact them directly to confirm the veracity of the information.
Finally, Movistar insists on the importance of following these precautions to protect its clients from possible fraud and remember that If you receive two calls on the same day or in close succession related to the same topic, it is best to suspect. Furthermore, it should be noted that the practice of vishing is not only limited to telephone and internet operators, as it has also been detected in electricity and gas supply companies.
The tax agency also warns of this practice
In fact, the Tax Agency requests the same collaboration. Although, in their case, cyber scams occur mainly during the quarter in which the income tax return filing period (IRPF) takes placethis year from April 3 to July 1, and they specialize in obtaining our bank or credit card information.
This is a successful scam and easy to fall for, especially among taxpayers who find the tax return IRPF They have to return it and they are waiting for the Treasury to notify them of the income. Cybercriminals send fake messages via email advertising a tax refund. The objective of these emails is for the user to click on the link provided, impersonating the Tax Agency and even using its official logo.
In addition, the director of research and awareness of ESET Spain, Joseph Albors, explains that if you click on the link provided, we will be redirected to a website created by criminals which imitates the design of the original Tax Agency website, but only shows a form to fill out with our data. The main objective of this campaign is not only the personal data of the victim, but also for them to reach the next step, where credit card details are requested directly, presumably to make the payment corresponding to the return of the income.
If the user enters all this information, their bank card details will be collected by criminals, who can sell them to other criminals or use them to make purchases and payments in their name. This is especially serious for those users who do not have a payment review system to notify them when an attempt is made to make a charge on their card, since criminals could empty all the funds, according to Josep Albors.
The campaign is recurring and is repeated year after year, which explains why many users continue to fall into this type of trap. For this reason, Albors remembers the importance of being informed of the threats we face as well as of establish security and payment control measures with card to prevent our money from being stolen.
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