The Jefatura Superior de Policía de La Rioja warned on 19 August 2026 of a scam currently being reported via WhatsApp According to the report, criminals pose as trusted contacts and ask victims to pass on a SMS and an verification code sent to their mobile phone. Anyone who reveals the code enables the attackers to take over their WhatsApp account. The perpetrators then use the compromised profile to send urgent messages to other contacts and solicit immediate bank transfers, police say.
The authority stresses that the conversations initially seem credible: the name, profile picture and familiar style of communication are all there. The crucial step comes when supposed acquaintances claim that a code was sent to the wrong number “by mistake” and ask for it to be forwarded. After taking over the account, the perpetrators often extend the scam to the contact list, triggering chain reactions involving further victims. The Policía Nacional for La Rioja initially did not provide specific figures on cases.
The warning is part of a pattern already known in Spain, but the cases now reported in La Rioja make it particularly relevant. The national cybersecurity institute INCIBE has long warned that sharing a six-digit verification code enables access from another device and therefore facilitates identity theft. According to local media such as elDiario.es there are also variants in circulation in which trust is built through supposed job offers or technical support before the code is requested.
As preventive and immediate measures, Policía Nacional recommends never sharing verification codes, enabling two-step verification in WhatsApp and using alternative means of contact (such as a quick call) to check whether unexpected requests are genuine. Anyone who suspects their account has been compromised should immediately try to reset access, warn all contacts, end sessions on unknown devices and file a report. It is also important to treat payment requests via messaging apps with suspicion as a rule and to check security settings regularly.
The latest statement from the Jefatura Superior de Policía de La Rioja underlines the central role of trust in such social engineering attacks. The harm affects not only individual accounts but potentially entire networks of contacts, making investigations more difficult and playing into the perpetrators’ hands. The authorities therefore urge particular vigilance when unexpected requests for codes or bank transfers arrive on WhatsApp.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).