Here’s how the data breach investigated by Telefónica affects you
No one is completely safe on the Internet. Neither ordinary users nor large companies. Telefónica is investigating a possible data breach that could affect the telecom company’s 120,000 customers and employees. The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) now has … launched an alert warning users of the importance of being alert to possible scams they will fall victim to as a result of information leaks.
These scams will be carried out, as has been common for decades, through email, SMS or phone calls. They will impersonate companies or public organizations in order to obtain the victim’s banking information and make payments at the consumer’s expense. “Even posing as Telefónica employees,” they note from OCU, so that users are on their guard.
As the organization notes, it appears that the hacked Telefónica databases did not contain access credentials or online banking passwords. This way, criminals who had access to this information could not use it to directly steal victims’ bank accounts.
However, in reality, as noted by the OCU, they could always use the remaining data obtained to launch targeted fraudulent campaigns against victims. And they will also be more reliable. Because it is not the same thing to receive a message in which the user is informed, for example, that there is a problem with paying for the Internet tariff without providing additional information than the same letter containing real information about the Internet. the user to whom it is addressed, such as their full name or real address. In such cases, cybercriminals
OCU “further calls on Telefónica to personally notify affected customers of the type of information breach and the risks involved.” Also remember that “no payment made by a user as a result of fraud can be considered authorized and therefore must be automatically reimbursed by the banking institution.”