Guardia Civil warns of new phone spoofing and WhatsApp scams

The Guardia Civil has issued an alert regarding a new telephone fraud campaign where criminals impersonate agents from the Madrid Command. Using spoofing techniques, scammers manipulate caller ID displays to show legitimate official numbers, gaining the trust of victims.

In these calls, criminals claim the victim is involved in a fraud, has outstanding debts, or faces credit issues. They use threats of arrest, legal consequences, or bank account freezes to create a sense of urgency. The scammers often attempt to move the conversation to WhatsApp, where they pressure victims to install technical support applications. These apps allow criminals to gain remote control of the device and access sensitive personal and banking information.

Additionally, a separate fraud modality has been identified involving WhatsApp account hijacking. In this scenario, scammers impersonate known contacts and request a verification code sent via SMS. Once obtained, the criminal can take control of the victim's account to read messages and solicit money from their contacts. Authorities advise citizens to never share verification codes, to hang up immediately if asked for banking details, and to verify all communications through official channels.