A type of digital scam is taking place in Spain that directly links Amazon and Whatsapp. It should be noted that this scam is directly related to identity theft, as well as account theft. It is known as phishing, and one should be on the lookout as it can pop up at any time. Read on to learn more about this scam and how cybersecurity is watching out for it.
The scam that is the order of the day in Spain
Whether by AI proliferation or through social engineering techniques, scams are the order of the day in Spain. Amazon and other parcel companies suffer from this scourge with increasingly sophisticated impersonations, the latter being tremendously problematic for users.
Cybersecurity criminologist Maria Aperador has raised the alarm about a recent scam involving firms such as Amazon and WhatsApp. The attackers, impersonating delivery companies, are attempting to steal accounts with social engineering in phone scams.
As Aperador reveals on its Instagram account, the criminals, already aware of all our information, pretend to have a package from Amazon and to be near our home. Thus, they ask for specific data that allow them, among other things, to steal WhatsApp accounts and information.
A phishing phone scam
Aperador shows a recorded call in which an attacker tries to convince his victim about the delivery of a package. “I’m Amazon Delivery Coordinator,” the cybercriminal goes so far as to say, who assures him that the package is already “fully paid for.”
In this particular case, the impersonation is done on Amazon, the most well-known delivery company, although there could be others affected. As the interlocutor asks for more data, the victim receives a WhatsApp message with a verification code.
What information the delivery person needs
The fake delivery man is missing data and lies to the victim assuring him that this code is necessary for the delivery of this package. If we fall for it and give him this data, cybercriminals get hold of the entire WhatsApp account, with all the damage against our privacy that this entails.
The key to this deception, Aperador explains, is that the criminal already knows all our data. From names to phone numbers to home addresses, which they use to reinforce their lies about the victims.
This data is obtained from hacks and information leaks that directly affect citizens’ data. This scam is a mixture of phishing (impersonation) and social engineering to ‘sneak’ the deception.
Do not accept calls if you are not expecting a package
Obviously if we are not expecting any package, the most logical thing to do is to hang up directly, since part of the scam is dismantled. However, if we are expecting packages, there are ways to check the veracity of this scam.
Amazon, like so many other similar e-commerce platforms, have their own applications and platforms to track packages. To buy from them, it is necessary to implement all our data in them already directly.
That is to say, Amazon at the moment we register, already knows all our delivery information, so it does not need to contact us to collect more data. In any case, the delivery person sometimes calls to ask if we are at home, something very common.
The best way to protect ourselves against this scam
Thus, the easiest way to protect ourselves is to consult either the platform’s website or its application if we use it. If we are not expecting a package or if the package is not in delivery, we already have the answer.
If we still receive such calls, it is best to hang up directly and block calls from these numbers. We will not stop receiving these calls since they will use other numbers to contact us, but at least we will partially avoid these calls.