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Spanish Authorities Warn of Dual WhatsApp and SMS Fraud Campaigns

Cybercriminals exploit impersonation and verification-code scams to hijack accounts and extort money, targeting victims with urgency and trust manipulation.

Una persona muestra el "Hola" que ha recibido de un número de teléfono de Filipinas y de una tal Victoria, a la que niega conocer.
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Overview

  • Spanish cybersecurity and law enforcement agencies confirm active fraud campaigns involving SMS child-impersonation and WhatsApp account hijacking.
  • Scammers impersonate victims' children via SMS, claiming their phone is broken, and urge contact through WhatsApp to request urgent money transfers between €600 and €1,200.
  • Fraudulent messages often originate from spoofed international numbers, including prefixes like +591 (Bolivia) and +63 (Philippines), complicating source tracing.
  • Cybercriminals also exploit WhatsApp's six-digit verification codes, tricking victims into sharing them to gain control of their accounts and target their contact lists.
  • Authorities urge users to enable two-step verification, ignore unsolicited verification-code requests, and independently verify contact identities to prevent falling victim.