Identity theft is the second most reported computer crime in the country before the High Technology Crime Investigation Division (Divindat) of the Police. Investigations doubled in 2020 and, as of April of this year, 296 cases have been registered.
In 2019 there were 247 complaints, while last year they went to 572. Colonel PNP Erick Ángeles, head of Divindat, explained to the Andina agency that this crime is committed by cybercriminals to scam third parties or carry out computer fraud.-
Cyber criminals target potential victims from users who frequently post photos and videos publicly, without restricting your privacy.
With this data, fake accounts on social networks like Facebook and then surprise and scam the contacts of the people whose identity was impersonated.
The most common method, said Colonel PNP Ángeles, is to trick friends or relatives into making money transfers for product purchases, phantom loans or paying taxes for false parcel shipments.-
Modalities of online scams or fraud
Cybercriminals can take up to a month to carry out the crime, said Colonel PNP Ángeles. To target the online scam or fraud, cybercriminals send friend requests to the impersonated person’s Facebook friends and initiate Messenger conversations to earn their trust. At the beginning they assure that they do not have access to their previous profile so they decided to create a new one.
They then try to deceive them by stating that the victim, whose identity was spoofed, needs a money loan for a “family emergency” by appealing to the covid-19 pandemic. In other cases they offer products for sale to obtain immediate income that will never be returned. The amounts are not usually very high so that it does not generate suspicion.
In addition, another very frequent method is to claim that they are traveling and that a package or parcel is on its way to their location and that they need the favor of receiving or collecting it. Later they invent that the package was withheld by Customs and that a customs clearance expense must be paid, indicates Colonel PNP Ángeles. Cases have even been investigated in which a false official has requested bank transfers to release the encomienda. If the payment is made, the person whose identity was spoofed will not be the only victim, also the contact who was scammed.
How to report identity theft?
The Police recommend reporting these cases at any police station or at the Divindat headquarters in Dirincri. At the same time, false accounts can be reported on social networks using the mechanisms available on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or another platform. When making a report you can include screenshots or documents (bank transfer vouchers, for example).
In 2020, Peruvian authorities made 185 requests involving 352 Facebook users or accounts, linked to police investigations or legal processes, according to the transparency report of the social network. –
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????? Find out which are the most used forms of computer fraud for cybercrimes in Peru reported to the High Technology Crime Investigation Division (Divindat). https://t.co/3zeSyXshgy
? Sofia Pichihua (@zophiap) pic.twitter.com/zyIDcnDA89
– Andean Agency (@Agencia_Andina) May 26, 2021
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