WhatsApp scam: More than 100 arrested in Spain for ‘son in trouble’ fraud
Over 100 individuals have been detained in Spain on allegations of defrauding WhatsApp users by posing as distressed relatives and purloining thousands of euros.
Police authorities revealed that the detainees were part of an organized criminal syndicate that illicitly obtained nearly a million euros through this scheme. The arrests occurred between February and April, as reported by El Pais newspaper.
All suspects are facing charges of fraud, money laundering, and involvement in a criminal enterprise, according to the publication. The Guardia Civil, one of Spain’s national law enforcement agencies, disclosed that the sums extorted from victims ranged from €800 to €55,000 (£683-£47,000).
In the province of Alicante alone, at least 238 victims were identified, with arrests executed in Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Madrid, Malaga, and Valencia.
These recent detentions follow the announcement made by the Policia Nacional in January, wherein they apprehended 59 members of a criminal network that swindled over 460,000 euros (£393,000) from victims employing a similar “son in trouble” tactic.
In its simplest form, the scam involves impostors masquerading as a relative in dire need, often employing a new phone number, and soliciting money from unsuspecting individuals.
Frequently, they allege to have lost or damaged their phone and claim to be locked out of their bank account, as highlighted by consumer group Which?.
A more complex version involves the scammer tricking a person into giving them the two-factor authentication code for their account. They may pose as a contact, and claim they sent the request for the code to the person’s phone by mistake.
Once they have access to that person’s account, they can contact relatives and friends asking for money.
UK residents have also fallen prey to the scam. In November, Nottinghamshire Police issued a warning after recording a “spike” in reports of criminals attempting to gain control of WhatsApp accounts to target their contacts.
Action Fraud – a UK reporting center for fraud – said it received 1,235 reports of criminals posing as loved ones in need on WhatsApp between 3 February and 21 June 2022.
This is around the same time the scam began to emerge in Spain – amounting to a total financial loss of £1.5m.
It is unknown if the scams in Spain and the UK are linked.
