The Civil Guard of the Las Palmas Command, through Team @, has detected the use of manipulated official documents to scam an amount of approximately 60,000 euros recently. In these new cases, it has been observed that cybercriminals are using documents with an official appearance with the logos and image of the Civil Guard to deceive their victims.
This modus operandi has the main objective of making citizens believe that there is a real obligation or problem and convincing them to make payments of different amounts to bank accounts
both nationally and abroad under false pretenses.
This type of document, which is usually sent via email, at first glance appears to be official, imitating the aesthetics of the communications and real requirements issued by the
Armed Institute.
These contain detailed information, and using persuasive language designed to generate fear and urgency, they warn about alleged ongoing investigations, pending fines, or even
lead people to believe that they are collaborating with an alleged secret police operation.
The ultimate goal of this methodology is for victims, believing they are facing a legitimate communication, to proceed to transfer money to bank accounts located outside the national territory, in most cases.
Normally, the communications are personalized and addressed to the victims (mentioning real names and surnames). Based on a context in which the victim may be immersed in a crime of false investments.
In relation to the above, the Civil Guard reminds citizens that, although we may contact them by telematic means such as email addresses with the
domain @guardiacivil.org or @guardiacivil.es, it will never request the payment of fines or collaboration in investigations through bank transfers to private accounts. Any official communication from the
Civil Guard will always be done through verifiable secure channels.
Recommendations:
- Verify the source: If you receive an email or message from the Civil Guard that seems suspicious, do not respond. Contact a Civil Guard station or post directly to verify its authenticity.
- Do not click on suspicious links: Avoid opening links or downloading attachments from unverified emails.
- Suspect urgency: Criminals often create a sense of urgency to prevent the victim from thinking clearly. Distrust any message that demands immediate action.
- Never make payments to private accounts: The Civil Guard, or any other police authority, will not ask for payments to be made to personal or foreign bank accounts for any type of transaction.
The Civil Guard continues to investigate to identify those responsible for these scams, so anyone who has been a victim of this type of fraud is requested to file a formal complaint at the nearest Civil Guard station or post.