The dangerous red button scam
Currently, scams have proliferated through digital platforms and new technologies, which has led to the emergence of new cybercriminals. The elderly are the main target of these scammers, who seek to take advantage of the lack of digital knowledge in this population group.
The National Police has issued a statement through its social networks to warn about a recent fraud attempt. This scam, known as the ‘red button scam’, represents a danger, especially for older people who usually use this service.
Many retirees have a device in their homes to request assistance in case of emergency, which operates through a red button. According to authorities, scammers pose as employees of the 112 telecare service in order to obtain personal and financial information from victims.
These cybercriminals contact through telephone calls, pretending to be part of the emergency service, with the intention of obtaining data from the victims and making fraudulent monthly charges. For this reason, it is crucial to inform older people about this modus operandi and remain alert.
Another dangerous scam: total theft in a single call
Recently, the National Police has issued a warning through social networks due to the proliferation of a new scam that could result in the emptying of bank accounts.
In this case, ‘spoofing’ is a technique used by many cybercriminals to trick people into gaining access to sensitive information in order to commit theft. In addition, scammers impersonate a trusted entity, such as a bank, to obtain sensitive data from the victim.
According to the authorities, the criminals pose as the victim’s bank to alert about suspicious movements in the account and persuade them to transfer the money to other supposedly safe accounts.
The police point out that they use various techniques to appear more credible, such as changing the phone number that appears on the screen to match that of the victim’s bank, in addition to using banking language. In a matter of minutes, they manage to obtain the banking information and empty the accounts.
