Spanish Government Warns Of Social Security Mailbox Scam
Spain News
Published: 20 October 2022 09:59 CET
Updated: 31 January 2023 09:59 CET
Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration is warning of the proliferation of a new scam that aims to steal a victim's banking credentials quickly and easily.
Although the vast majority of today’s scams are conducted online, the latest method which is catching people out is being performed offline using a more traditional approach to deceive victims.
The Ministry is warning that this particular scam is targeting the elderly who they believe to be more at risk.
After surveying a property and its occupant using social engineering, the scammer will drop a letter into the mailbox which will appear to originate from the social security department, Seg Social. This is evident from the official looking logo of the organisation that appears at the top of the letter.
The subject of the letter is “Cambio Datos Bancarios Seg Social”.
Something that should catch your eye is that the letter uses a Microsoft font and is very poorly written, something that would not be the case if coming from the Ministry.
After addressing the person by name, you are then asked for numerous documents because, they say, your personal data has been lost: "From the social security we contact you because it is necessary to send us the following documentation because the law that came into force last month and due to the computer attack in the Treasury and Social Security systems many citizens' data has been lost."
The letter asks the recipient to provide a photograph of both sides of their DNI, a bank statement where you appear as the holder, and a third that shows the amount you received in benefits last year.
They then promise that your social security payments will be increasing by 75 or 150 euros adding a sense of urgency and further incentive for the recipient to respond.
If you receive a letter like this, you should not respond.
If in any doubt, you should contact the body which claims to have sent the letter. In this case, it is the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
Source
https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2022/10/20/no-somos-nosotros-el-gobierno-avisa-sobre-una-fraude-relacionado-con-la-seguridad-social-que-te-puede-llegar-al-buzon-cadena-ser/
