An unnamed business on Lanzarote has fallen victim to a scam in which they were convinced to make several bank transfers amounting to a total of 19,670 euros.
The investigation began in December last year when a complaint was filed by the company, who had reported that an unknown person (or persons) had gained access to a company email account and began impersonating one of the company’s bosses.
Once the perpetrator(s) had gained access to the email account, they were able to view sensitive information and documents that allowed them to impersonate one of the bosses and request that the company’s administration make several bank transfers to their account.
During the Guardia Civil’s investigation, they were able to identify that the perpetrator was a resident of Madrid and with the help of the Guardia Civil in Madrid they located their location. The perpetrator is now awaiting the following legal proceedings.
Protecting yourself online
As the world grows ever dependent on online services and tools, it’s important to keep a few rules in mind when it comes to ensuring your safety online. There are many tips to follow online, however, here are three important rules:
- Verify who you are talking to – If you have even a shred of doubt about the authenticity of an email or text from someone that you know or work with, it only takes a second of your time to call them to verify that they are trying to contact you (or in this case request bank transfers to a new account.)
- Never send passwords or pin codes – No company will ever ask for your passwords, pin codes or account recovery codes over the phone or via email. It is something that banks constantly warn their users about. If you ever receive a text or email about an account breach, bank transfer, or account “verification” out of the blue, always question it, and if you’re in doubt simply call the company in question to verify.
- Secure passwords – Creating a strong password is simple, it should be anywhere between 8-12 characters long and have letters, numbers and a few characters thrown in. Passwords using just letters (the names of family members, pets, your own name, or the name of the account) are much easier to compromise than one that includes numbers and characters.
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