The art of scamming in the digital age (or how your phone became your worst enemy)
If you thought that the worst thing that could happen to you was that your ex stalked you on Instagram, get ready: now cybercriminals literally have your number. The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) has just released a statement that seems like a script from Black Mirror, but no, it’s your real life. It turns out that international calls with strange prefixes (like +44 from the United Kingdom) are the new favorite tactic of scammers. And no, it’s not Harry Styles calling to invite you to tea.
Scam methods: from “wangiri” to messages that not even your mother would send
Cybercriminals are more creative than an influencer in quarantine. His modus operandi includes:
- The missed call (or “wangiri”): Your phone rings once and *poof*, it disappears. If you drop and call back, prepare for a trip to ruin: they connect you to premium rate lines that will make your phone bill look like a country’s debt.
- Fake job offers: Because nothing says “legitimate work” like a WhatsApp message that promises to make you a millionaire for making “simple clicks.” Spoiler: the only one who will get rich will be the scammer.
- Automated messages: Those pre-recorded audios that sound like they were made by a hungover robot. If they ask you for personal information, run. Literally.
And be careful, because the red flags are more obvious than an El Chavo del 8 meme: foreign numbers that hang up on the first ring, promises of easy money (are we seriously still falling for that?), or pressure to act “before the promotion runs out.” Spoiler: the only promotion that ends is your bank balance.
How can you not end up as the protagonist of a documentary about fraud?
The SSPC, in its role as “digital big sister”, leaves us these tips so as not to end up crying in front of the bank:
- Do not return calls from unknown numbers, especially if they have strange prefixes. If it was important, they’ll leave you a message (or a meme, at least).
- Check job offers as if they were your Tinder date’s profile: with distrust and Google in hand.
- Block and report suspicious numbers. Your phone is not a museum to store junk.
- Never share personal data, unless you want a stranger in Moldova to buy a toaster with your card.
So now you know: if your phone rings with +44, it’s not Ed Sheeran, it’s someone who wants to empty your account. Act with the same distrust with which you review “Congratulations, you won an iPhone” messages (which, spoiler, is never an iPhone).
Has it happened to you? Share this info on your networks and save someone who is clueless from their own curiosity. And if you want more tips to survive the digital chaos, take a look at our related content. Because on the internet, as in love, better safe than crying.
