Global rise in cybercrime and financial fraud

Authorities and cybersecurity experts continue to warn of evolving fraudulent schemes targeting digital assets and financial transactions.

In the digital sphere, criminals are increasingly utilizing WhatsApp to execute scams. Recent reports highlight the misuse of the ‘view once’ feature to send unexpected images as hooks for extortion, as well as hijacking accounts to impersonate victims and request urgent funds from their contacts. Attackers are also using malicious links to gain device control through malware and exploiting software vulnerabilities to hide messages.

Financial fraud remains a significant threat through diverse social engineering tactics. These include the ‘accidental transfer’ or ‘wrongful transfer’ scam, where victims are pressured to return money sent by mistake to fraudulent accounts, and the ‘kidnapping or accident’ ruse designed to induce emotional shock. Other methods include the ‘uncle scam’ targeting seniors and fraudulent claims regarding government subsidies.

Legal and investigative actions are ongoing in several regions. In Spain, a former bank employee faces 12 years in prison for allegedly defrauding clients of nearly 900,000 euros through unauthorized credit card charges. Additionally, in the Dominican Republic, investigations are addressing reports of doctors returning defrauded funds to SeNaSa through irregular payment methods.