"Son in distress": A cybercriminal who swindled 12,000 euros from a resident of Lanzarote investigated

The alleged perpetrator of the crime is a citizen residing in Madrid, but the participation of other people is not ruled out

June 9 2025 (12:52 WEST)
Updated in June 9 2025 (14:00 WEST)
Person using mobile phone to make a call
Person using mobile phone to make a call

The Civil Guard of Lanzarote investigated on May 26 a person as the alleged perpetrator of a crime of fraud, in its modality of the "son in distress".

The investigation began last April after a person reported to the authorities about a deception of which he/she had been a victim. According to the information obtained, the cybercriminals contacted the victim through an instant messaging application, where they impersonated his/her son.

In that message, the alleged son stated that he had lost his mobile phone and, for that reason, they were using an unknown number. After the initial contact, the alleged son related that he was going through an emergency situation that required the urgent transfer of a considerable sum of money.

Given the desperate situation he was relating, they induced the victim to act quickly, preventing him/her from reasoning about what was happening, getting him/her to transfer a significant amount of money to the cybercriminals, which amounts to almost 12,000 euros.

The victim later realized the scam when he/she found that his/her son was in perfect condition and that he had not been the one who had sent the messages.

Faced with these events, the Arroba Lanzarote Team, specialized in cybercrime, initiated a thorough investigation. Thanks to the collection of evidence and collaboration with the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of Madrid, the Civil Guard managed to identify and locate the alleged perpetrator of the crime, a citizen residing in Madrid.

To achieve this result, the agents used advanced investigation techniques aimed at combating technological fraud on the Internet, which is why the rapid action of the specialized team of the Civil Guard was of interest.

The participation of other people in the crime is not ruled out, so the investigation continues to clarify all the details and prevent future similar cases, reminding citizens of the importance of taking extreme precautions against suspicious messages.

The proceedings have been made available to the Investigating Court of Arrecife.

 

"Son in distress" scam modality

A fraudulent campaign has been detected consisting of sending messages in which cybercriminals impersonate a supposed son or daughter of the victim. In the message, they explain that they have had a problem with their mobile phone, for example, that it has broken, which is why they contact with a different number unknown to the victim. Once they establish communication through this channel, they try to deceive the victim into sending them money, either through Bizum or through a bank transfer.

This type of scam is intended to give a sense of emergency and urgency so that the victim acts quickly and without thinking or reasoning about what is happening. For this reason, before making any decision, it is important to use common sense, think carefully about what is happening and try to contact the person involved through another means, in this case, your son or daughter.

 

Safety tips 

  • If you have received the text message, but have not interacted with the phone number through WhatsApp or another messaging application, nor have you made any payment, block the phone number and delete the SMS.
  • If you have doubts about the authenticity of the situation and want to check that it is not really your son or daughter, contact him or her directly through the usual channel. You can call directly by phone and ask a question that you know only your son would know how to answer.
  • If, on the other hand, you have interacted with the number that sent you the message, or even made a payment, follow these steps:
  • In the event that you have made a bank transfer or Bizum, contact your bank as soon as possible to take protective measures and try to cancel the transaction.
  • Report and block through WhatsApp the number through which you have supposedly contacted your family member, for this you can follow the instructions on their official page.
  • Save all possible evidence of the fraud, as well as screenshots of the messages, phone numbers used by the scammers, conversations and proof of transfers or Bizum if any. To verify this evidence, you can use the online witness service.
  • Inform the State Security Forces and Corps and file a complaint providing the evidence you have.
  • Stay alert for possible new fraud attempts from that same number through other channels. In the event of any suspicious message, apply the "zero trust" rule, do not follow the instructions received or share personal, banking or sensitive information, even if the message appears to come from someone close to you.
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