Anti-cybercrime cops in Spain have traced an alleged scammer back to Lanzarote, as Brits have been warned to be wary of being falling victim to scams while on holiday
Police are warning travelling Brits to look out for a carding scam in the Canary Islands that is costing victims thousands.
An anti-cybercrime operation was launched by the Guardia Civil following a victim reporting unauthorised charges amounting to a massive sum of €5,018, equivalent to over £4,100. The complaint – a total of 63 unauthorised transactions were reported – was made in August to the San Bartolomé police in Lanzarote, one of Spain’s Canary Islands hugely popular with visiting Brits.
The Canarian Weekly reported that an alleged suspect who lives in Lanzarote had been identified and said online fraud detection techniques had been used to track them down. The scam, known as ‘carding’, occurs when someone uses stolen credit or debit card information to make fraudulent purchases online.
Common techniques include phishing, when people are tricked into revealing their card details, malware that captures keyboard strokes, hacking, card cloning and using fake websites. To protect yourself from this scam, you should ignore spam emails from unknown senders and keep an eye on your bank transactions. Make sure you do this when travelling abroad too as your guard can be down at this time.
You can also disable contactless on your phone, use online shops with secure payment systems, enable two-factor authentication for payments and use prepaid cards for online purchases. If you are suspicious of any payments, report them to your bank.
Brits have also been warned of a major scam targeted at tourists in a popular holiday spot in Spain. Tenerife is hugely popular with Brits with over 2.2 million visiting in 2022 alone according to data from Statista, but some can be a target for pickpockets.
One man has warned his fellow visitors to the island, however, after unsuspecting tourists were scammed by opportunistic criminals. TikTok user @seb_tenerife said scammers have been known to ask tourists for directions and to use their mobile phones, only to make a run for it once the device has been unlocked. Seb, who now lives in Tenerife, said there is also a problem with pickpockets on the island, the Express reported.
“I would just again be very careful,” he warned. “Benidorm is a lot like Tenerife – both great holiday destinations, great weather, booze is flying, everyone’s here for a good time, very similar sorts of destinations… But obviously, like anywhere where holiday places are… You’ve just got to be wary.” The plush resort of Playa de las Américas is situated on Tenerife’s southwest coast and is particularly popular with tourists. It is known for beaches, surfing and fun nightlife, but Seb also said it is where pickpocketers lurk.
