How To Avoid The Latest Scam In Spain With Online Criminals Posing As The Post Office

THE Guardia Civil recently warned the public to be aware of the latest scam uncovered in Spain where criminals pose as the Post Office.

In a statement from the Spanish Internet Security Office (OSI), attached to a tweet, the force explained how false emails are sent.

These are designed to impersonate the courier and parcel service of Correos, using an online scamming technique known as phishing.

⚠ #AVISO ❗ Detectada una campaña de correos electrónicos falsos que suplantan a @Correos. Se indica que no se ha podido realizar la entrega de un paquete y solicitan una nueva fecha para su envío. #NoPiques es #phishing, piden datos personales.
ℹ👇https://t.co/6MUZf3unXn pic.twitter.com/EdlD3HtN4a

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) August 14, 2023

This system involves thousands of people receiving an identical email from the tricksters in which they are informed that a package they ordered was unable to be delivered for whatever reason.

Of course, there was never a package in the first place but these smart crooks even provide a fictitious tracking number to make the message look more authentic.

You are asked to fill in personal data

In order to receive the ‘missed package’, a new delivery date is requested in the email, which the criminals tell people is easily achieved by first filling in some personal data on a form provided through a clickable link.

A link is always included in these emails, with the user asked to open it in order to enter the relevant important information and obtain a new date for their ‘missed delivery’.

When the link is opened, it presents a website that has been built as an exact replica of the original Correos one. This then lulls the victims into a false sense of trust.

A form will always be included, which the user is asked to fill in. This usually entails the need to pay a small fee or maybe €2 with a credit card to ‘process’ the information. Of course, they are really stealing your bank data with this action.

What to do if you receive such an email

If you receive an email of this type, think first of all if you have a package pending receipt, and if you do, contact the Post Office or the courier in question directly to find out the status of the shipment, but never follow links of dubious origin. .

If you have not already clicked the attached link then the best option is to mark the email as spam and delete it. On the other hand, if you have accessed the link and provided the personal data requested in the form, the Guardia Civil recommends applying the following guidelines to protect your security and privacy:

• Practice egosurfing and check if your personal data may have been exposed on the Internet. To do this, you can use the tool Google Dorks.

• Collect all the information you have about this fraud through email screenshots or notifications received in order to take legal action and present it to the authorities, state security forces, and bodies, attaching the evidence collected.

• In the event that the information provided included personal bank details, contact your bank to tell them what happened, so they can take the necessary security measures.