Late last year, the Civil Guard initiated investigations following reports from two individuals, one residing in Córdoba and the other in Zaragoza. Both had been lured by deceptive job offers promising financial income for simple online tasks, such as liking posts on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Cybercriminals contacted the victims, who were unemployed, via messaging platforms. They offered remote work with high salaries for few hours, pressuring them to accept quickly by claiming other candidates were waiting.
The modus operandi involved requesting an upfront payment, via Bizum or immediate transfers, assuring that the money would be recovered. However, they only paid small amounts as a 'hook' and then demanded new deposits to 'unlock' pending balances, until the victims realized they were being defrauded. In the two cases investigated, the financial loss exceeded 6,000 euros.
Distrust promises of extraordinary earnings for easy, risk-free jobs. Avoid accepting unexpected job offers received through social media.
The @ Team of the Civil Guard's Cyber Command, upon learning of the incidents, analyzed communications between the affected individuals and the fraudsters, tracing the transferred money. This led to the identification of the alleged perpetrators, resulting in the arrest of five people in the provinces of Tarragona, Álava, and Granada, who have been brought before judicial authorities.
The Cyber Command is a recently established unit of the Civil Guard that expands citizen assistance services through telematic means, complementing and assisting in cyberspace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the rest of the citizen security units.
