Thieves and criminals use more and more methods and techniques to commit their thefts and scams. Beyond conventional methods, they take advantage of new technologies and the digital world, where people can share any confidential information. Above all, They seek to obtain our personal data and steal money from bank accounts. A traditional method, phone calls, is frequently used by scammers, which is why the OCU recommends that we avoid saying a word to fall into the trap.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 374,737 cybercrimes in 2022, which was 22% more than the previous year. These data were collected in the Report on Cybercrime in Spain 2022, published in October 2023. Of the total, 335,995 cybercrimes, nine out of ten, were computer fraud, which increased by 26% compared to 2021.
The complaints were collected by the National Police, the Civil Guard, the Foral Police of Navarra, the Ertzaintza, the Mossos d'Esquadra and the various local police forces. This report reflects the rising trend of cybercrimes.
One of the methods, also, is spam calls. Spain is, along with France, the country most affected by this type of fraudulent callswhich usually come from unknown numbers, hidden numbers or spoofed numbers (known as “spoofing”).
Spam calls: this is what you should avoid saying to avoid falling into telephone scams, according to the OCU
Telephone scams are a serious problem, and the OCU warns about them. Thus, the organization ensures that they only need one word to achieve their purpose, so we must avoid saying it.
And this comes as soon as you pick up the phone. There are people who use “hello” or the classic “tell me.” Others, on the contrary, resort to rescue “Yeah?”. It is this word, according to the OCU, that we should avoid, since Criminals record the call and can then use the recording to fake your consent.
Experts explain several measures to take against spam calls, such as avoiding providing personal or financial information, reporting fraudulent calls to your service provider, or use spam blocking applications or services on our phone.
The OCU also states that the best way to avoid suffering from telephone scams is to If you suspect an unknown number, hang up as soon as possible and do not call back. If they can pose as a bank or telephone company, contact them but using an official number, not the one from which they called you.