PSP and Deco warn about the use of fake numbers in fraud

The PSP and Deco warn of the growing phenomenon of "spoofing," a technique used in computer scams that falsifies telephone numbers to deceive victims, and call for stronger legal protection and greater consumer awareness.

Although the Public Security Police (PSP) system does not allow for the identification of the exact number of reports of this particular crime, an official source from the entity assured Lusa that they are closely monitoring the phenomenon and emphasized that victims usually only file a complaint when the call actually results in a scam.

Spoofing consists of falsifying an entity (email, telephone number, website or IP address, among others) in order to give an appearance of legitimacy and trust in that contact, with the aim of deceiving the victim, explained the same official source.

Cybercriminals pose as banks, well-known companies, or public institutions to obtain victims' personal data or credentials for criminal purposes, warns the PSP.

These scams can have serious consequences: from the theft of banking data to accessing private content on victims' phones, such as photos or contacts. In some cases, scammers convince victims to make bank transfers, often with the promise of fictitious investments.

Consumers are also increasingly concerned. Although there are no concrete figures, Deco Luís Pisco, a lawyer at the consumer protection association, confirms that "many consumers are seeking information about these types of scams."

According to the person in charge, this type of fraud is an evolution of “phishing” practices, which currently use voice calls ('vishing') or SMS ('smishing'), with the use of “spoofing” [number usurpation] to simulate reliable telephone numbers.

Luís Pisco also points out that scammers “mask or falsify the telephone number from which they send messages or make calls (“spoofing”), pretending to be reputable entities such as the State, banks, and public and private service providers.

The PSP reinforces the importance of prevention, advising citizens to be wary of generic calls or messages, not to click on suspicious links, not to share their phone number on social media, and to block unwanted calls.

Deco warns against the use of "social engineering techniques that exploit consumers' naiveté and digital illiteracy." "They should hang up the call and confirm the veracity of the information they were given (or sent via message). And never share personal data unnecessarily on social media, especially sensitive data, as you are providing information for potential attacks," warns Luís Pisco.

Both entities recommend reporting all fraud attempts, even if they haven't caused any harm. However, the Deco lawyer emphasizes that current legislation "does not sufficiently protect consumers" and advocates for an urgent update that would require communications operators to implement more effective prevention and detection measures.

"Current legislation does not sufficiently protect consumers in these situations and urgently needs to be updated with regard to measures to prevent, detect, and suppress these practices by companies providing electronic communications services," argues the Deco lawyer.

“Furthermore, there is already a set of technical solutions that allow us to at least mitigate the effects of these attacks and that can and should be implemented,” he concludes.