Spain Arrests 100+ in WhatsApp 'Son in Trouble' Scam
Over 100 people accused of stealing thousands of euros from WhatsApp users by claiming to be relatives in distress have been arrested in Spain .
According to a report by El Pais newspaper, the arrests took place between F²ebruary and April.
Police said those arrested were part of a criminal group that fraudulently received nearly a million euros in total through the scam.
According to the report, individuals have been accused of fraud, money laundering, and involvement in a criminal group, with the Guardia Civil confirming that victims were coerced into transferring amounts ranging from €800 to €55,000.
At least 238 victims were identified in Alicante alone, leading to arrests in various locations including Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Madrid, Malaga, and Valencia. This follows the Policia Nacional's announcement in January about apprehending 59 members of a gang that had swindled over €460,000 from victims using a similar tactic involving false emergencies and requests for money from supposed relatives.
They often claim that their phone has been lost or damaged and they have been locked out of their bank, according to 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.
A UK reporting centre for fraud, Fraud Action 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 about the same time the scam began to emerge in Spain - amounting to a total financial loss of £1.5m
