Computer crimes are usually a combination of several violations of the law.
Carlos (name withheld), 33 years old, was the victim kidnapping on the night of February 18, after being under the influence of scopolamine. He says he’s blacked out mentally since getting into the taxi, north of Quito.
He responded the next day, twelve hours later, without his cell phone, watch, laptop and documents, including his credit card. During the period in which he was abducted, purchases were made through food delivery applications.
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“It was like ten payments with my card at a restaurant for a total of $320. Since I was kidnapped, I could not immediately react and block,” he says.
The fact shows that the kidnapping and physical robbery led to the fraudulent appropriation of money electronically, in this case using mobile applications.
This latest computer crime is typified in art. 190 of the Comprehensive Criminal Code on Bodies.
The people in charge brought the food, which they paid for with Carlos’s money, and then they got the entire money from those who requested the order when they got home with the orders.
During 2022, it will be registered 3,112 cases of fraudulent embezzlement by electronic means, which is almost double the 1,704 reported in 2019, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
He The increase was greater during the pandemic when 2,229 and 5,178 events of this type were identified in 2020 and 2021, respectively.according to your order.
From 2019 to June 2023, there were 13,711 robberies through digital media (fraudulent misappropriation by electronic means).
Most cases end with a lawsuit before the bank, which returns the money after an investigation.
Carlos’s case has been reported to the prosecutor’s office, but so far there are no results. Since the digital purchases were made after the physical theft of the card, there were no refunds.
Deposits held for 361 days or more generate an annual interest rate of 8.24%, the highest rate offered by banks since at least 2016.
The use of credit cards entails the risk of data theft
Computer crimes have a cross-border character, says Roberto Torres, prosecutor in charge of the National Unit specialized in cybercrime investigations of the Prosecutor’s Office, established by resolution in June 2022.
He points out that his team deals with cases of attacks on the integrity of computer systems, electronic transfer of assets and those related to child pornography and its commercialization.
“Cybercrimes are acts that violate the law and are committed using information and communication technologies. During the pandemic, online crimes have grown exponentially,” he says.
An example of data theft is what happened to Jorge Villanueva, who was dedicated bring goods from the United States to sell in Ecuador after he lost his job.
He often travels north and it is normal for him to use a credit card because his clients usually put money for shipments into that account.
He tells that one day, while he was in Ecuador, he received a text message notifying him of a purchase in the United States worth close to $250.
“I reviewed the purchase and they did it online at a tech store. bought hearing aids“, he says.
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He reported the case: “The bank first said that I made the purchase because they allegedly used a security code, but I told them that it wasn’t me. They blocked the transaction and returned my money after two months, but they never explained what happened“.
Jorge says that wasn’t the only episode. After making a $250 purchase, he received a text message about a $1 digital app store transaction, but it was automatically reversed.
“I called the bank and they told me that they tried to make purchases with my card again in the United States, but the bank automatically blocked it. There I decided to close that card and change the bank,” he confirms.
Most cases go unpunished
Felipe (protected name) always filled up at the same gas station in Guayaquil. One day, he received a call and was told that he was the “lucky winner” because he consumed at the service he always went to.
They told him to go with his wife and credit cards. They had all their information such as ID card numbers, first and last names and mobile phones.
After attending the event, he had an accident due to an improper card payment. “That’s how we came to the conclusion that when paying by card, these object databases are unscrupulously sold and who knows what hands they end up in.“.
The fact shows that there is a fraudulent sale of databases or leakage of card data during digital purchases. From January 2019 to June this year, the Prosecutor’s Office records 323 cases of illegal disclosure of databases.
Computer crimes also fall under the scope of fraud in this digital age when electronic means are used.
Fraud also increased from 16,558 and 17,683 in 2019 and 2020 to 23,410 and 22,375 in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Only from January to June this year, 11,867 fraud reports were registered. The number includes those made through social networks and the Internet.
Mobile banking is booming, with the number of mobile banking transactions growing from 23 million to 350 million from 2019 to 2022, a 15-fold increase
There is profile theft on social networks
To face the economic crisis caused by the pandemic in her family in 2020, Milady Aguirre started selling makeup and beauty products.
She opened a profile on the social network Instagram to start showing off her products and giving beauty tips. In a short time, he reached three thousand followers and made sales.
Nevertheless, at the end of 2021, she tried to access her Instagram account, but the platform did not allow her: “I always kept the account open, but one day it was closed and I thought it was the security of IG (Instagram) itself, but I tried to access it and it told me that it was not a password. I put remember password, but nothing. Then I couldn’t even access the mail“.
He said, he tried to communicate with Meta (administrative company for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp), but after all the checks, they didn’t give him access.
A few days after he lost access, he got a WhatsApp message from people trying to sell him his account again.
“First they asked me for $500, then $200. I didn’t pay. Later, I got a job and left the topic of makeup behind. I later found out that the account was sold to another supposed entrepreneur. They changed the logo, names, information and sold gym items. They took followers, even though I asked them to unfollow them on my personal account,” he says.
Source: Eluniverso
Alia is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 news agency. She writes on various topics from economy news to general interest pieces, providing readers with relevant and informative content. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
