Fraudsters use second-hand platforms to steal bank details in Andalusia
The Guardia Civil has resolved a digital scam committed through a used goods portal. The alleged perpetrators, based in Cádiz and Granada, combined fraudulent messages and phone calls to obtain transfers.
Fraudsters use second-hand platforms to steal bank details in Andalusia
A unit specialised in cybercrime of the Guardia Civil has concluded the investigation of electronic fraud that used peer-to-peer sales portals as bait. The victim reported being deceived when attempting to sell a household appliance through one of these services.
The suspects, with addresses in two Andalusian provinces—Cádiz and Granada—devised a scheme that integrated multiple contact channels: conversations via chat applications, text messages with malicious links and phone contact. The objective was to get the seller to make money transfers to accounts controlled by them.
The scheme was set in motion when the victim posted their offer on the portal. Moments later, they received a message from a person who simulated genuine interest and proposed continuing negotiations outside the platform, via a messaging app. There, the fake buyer stated that they would pay for the item through the official system of the portal.
Shortly afterwards, the seller's phone received an SMS with a hyperlink that apparently served to complete the transaction. The officers explain that the perpetrators mixed text message phishing tactics (smishing), telephone voice spoofing (vishing) and psychological manipulation so that the target believed they were following the standard procedure.
Thus, the victim accessed the link and entered their financial details to process the operation. Immediately afterwards, they received a call from an individual who identified themselves as the payment supervisor and who, claiming technical problems, guided each movement. Throughout the process, the fraudsters maintained fluid communication across different channels, projecting an image of formality and creating false urgency.
Under the pretext of certifying the account and verifying receipt of the amount, they succeeded in getting the victim to carry out several money transfers to accounts in their name. Once everything was completed, the complainant began to grow suspicious upon confirming that there was no sale associated with the process and that the supposed interested buyer had disappeared.
After receiving the complaint, the officers launched a technical investigation focused on analysing communications and tracing the path of the defrauded money to its destination. The documentation compiled has been sent to the court body in Arcos de la Frontera to continue the case.
Source: ABC
Source: ABC