Criminals continue to hide on the internet. If you have family, friends or relatives abroad, They can take advantage of this to contact you, encourage you to commit fraud or even steal your personal data..
(See: Batteries: Follow these tips to avoid falling for a scam when buying online).
Colombian Liyaneth Osorio, who has been living in the USA for more than six years, lost access to her Facebook account. hackers They managed to breach security and take over his personal profile.
“They took his contacts on Facebook and started writing to them. They opened a fake profile on WhatsApp and published his photo,” his sister told EL TIEMPO.
When they contacted people on Facebook, they asked for their WhatsApp numbers and stated that they would write there for a better connection. Some of his relatives in Colombia received messages from a phone number that appeared to be from the United States.
One of the conversations in which they impersonate Osorio says, “I’m traveling there this week. If you need me to get you anything, let me know, we’re here to help each other. Be confident.”
(Also: Scams in Colombia: Cybercriminals try to steal these messages with these messages).
Rafael’s situation is very similar. The man told this newspaper that he had received messages from a person impersonating his friend, who had been living in the United States for more than five years. and the person you don’t talk to often.
“They contacted me on Facebook. Apparently it was him. He had two photos of him on his profile. He told me to give him my number to add to WhatsApp. That’s when he told me he needed a favor,” he said.
In both sections, after convincing them that they are in contact with family members or friends abroad, They assured them that they planned to send a shipment with gifts to Colombia..
“They started telling that he sent suitcases to Colombia for his family, it was a surprise, but he had no money in Colombia. They wanted to pay 700 thousand pesos to deliver the suitcases. They said: He would have paid them twice as much when he was in Colombia,” explained Liyaneth’s sister. .
Criminals shared photos of fake suitcases containing gifts. Rafael was even shown luxury objects.
“He said that he needed to send me some items because he was planning to come to Colombia, but he was afraid that his bag would be lost. He sent me photos of mobile phones, iPhones, laptops, jackets, cameras and watches. Rafael commented to EL TIEMPO: “Rolex. I thought it was because my friend had the money (to buy the objects in question).”
In conversations, the man insisted to Rafael that it was “a surprise for the family.”. To gain compassion, she even reassured him that he had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer and asked for his family to have a “beautiful memory” as his last wish.
“I will reassemble everything and send you a photo of what it looks like. (…) Brother, the truth is that I don’t want anyone to know about my journey, because no one knows what I do. I told you so,” he insisted.
(Read: They warn of virtual scams that could affect tourism in Valledupar).
Liyaneth’s relatives were contacted by someone who agreed to receive the ‘gift bag’. Number pretending to be a well-known shipping company in Colombia. They asked for their information and explained how to make a transfer of 700 thousand or 900 thousand pesos.
Rafael, on the other hand, had doubts about his so-called friend who asked him to buy ‘suitcases containing gifts’ worth over 30 million pesos: “A big trust if we haven’t talked for a long time.”
“He sent me a card from a cargo company asking for information such as identity, e-mail, address… He said to me ‘this is the information you need to send me in order to send the order, I will pay for it, only you will receive it.’‘” he recalled.
(More: Batteries! Here’s how to spot business scams on WhatsApp and what you should do to avoid them.)
Rafael began to give him the requested information; However, as suspicions arose, he immediately deleted the messages. He searched his friend’s Facebook account and discovered that the real account contained dozens of photos. He confirmed that they were impersonating him: “I didn’t respond anymore. I blocked him and reported him.”
He wrote a letter to his friend in the United States on Facebook warning him about the theft, but since he received a short response, he does not know whether the other profile is also in the criminals’ possession.
Liyaneth recovered her Facebook account and warned her friends about the fraud. Two of them fell out and sent the money to buy the fake bag.
The police urged Colombians to strengthen the passwords of their profiles on networks or other domains:
– Do not use the same password on different platforms.
– Enable two-step authentication.
– Use a password manager to store passwords securely.
– Avoid passwords shorter than eight characters.
– Convert vowels in the password to numbers to increase security.
The authorities also made a call. do not provide personal information, passwords, bank details or similar information via chat or social networks; much less verifying who you’re talking to first.
(See: Master lost $25 million in scam: video calls with fake faces).
Cybercriminals can create fake accounts, impersonate people and thus force victims to provide personal data or transfer money.
“Never send money in advance if you cannot verify the seller or their reputation. Do not share sensitive documents or information that could compromise your identity,” advises police in one of its cybersecurity instructions.
If you are the victim of a computer crime such as virus implantation, website impersonation, fraud, copyright infringement, personal data breach, hacking, you can access this page provided by the National Police and Prosecutor’s Office. You need to fill in some data and detail what the situation is so that investigators can analyze the case..
You can also seek advice from Police Virtual CAI to find out how to proceed.
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Source: Exame
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
