Prevent identity theft with these top tips from the experts at Grupo Telecable
Identity theft is a growing problem in Spain but this costly scam can be avoided with a few simple tricks
In this age of almost constant smartphone and internet use, identity theft is becoming more and more common and the scammers increasingly clever and sophisticated. Having your personal information compromised isn’t only discomfiting but it can cost you dearly, so it’s more important than ever to know how to protect yourself – and your data – from identity thieves.
Luckily, the experts at Grupo Telecable, the leading communications experts in Murcia and Alicante, are on hand with advice on how to spot a scammer and, crucially, how to avoid them.
How can my identity be stolen?
Cyber criminals in Spain have come up with countless ways to gain unauthorised access to your sensitive data. Here are a few of the most common:
- Access to accounts: To glean personal information scammers often use a tactic called phishing, which involves sending fake emails that at first glance appear to be from your bank or another official source. Gone are the days of clumsy spelling and typos and now these false messages can be very convincing. They typically ask their victims to click on a link to an external website which gives scammers full access to your personal information and sometimes can even allow malicious code to be installed on your device.
- Fake profiles: Social media users beware: here, the scammers duplicate your online profile and use it to beg money from your ‘friends’ and carry out other fraudulent activities. They have a variety of ways of getting their hands on your information, including phishing and using illegally captured credit card details.
How do I know if my identity has been stolen?
If you suspect that a scammer has accessed your personal data it’s important to act quickly. Here’s how you can recognise identity theft:
- Check your bank statements for any transactions that haven’t been made by you.
- You receive messages on your phone or social media account from people you don’t know.
- Friends or acquaintances receive messages or emails from you that you never sent.
- You receive sign-in alerts from areas or devices that you have not used to log on.
- A debt collector contacts you for payment of an expense you didn’t contract.
- Your bank credit allowance or overdraft increases without your authorisation.
- Small charges or balance increases appear on your online banking, only to suddenly vanish a few hours later.
How do I report identity theft?
Identity theft is a serious crime and when it comes to combatting it time is of the essence. Suspected illegal activity should be reported to the authorities immediately to protect your personal information. If you believe someone is impersonating you, this is what you should do:
- Contact the police and provide as much information and proof as possible, such as copies of emails, bank statements or screenshots of suspicious notifications and log-ins.
- If your social media account has been hacked, let the administrators know so that they can work with the police on tracking down the culprit.
- You can also contact the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPT) who will investigate the data breach.
How can I prevent identity theft?
If you wish to protect yourself against identity theft, please follow this security advice from Grupo Telecable:
- Remember that banks and other official entities never request personal information like PIN or account numbers via email. If you receive such an email, don’t open it or follow any links and report it to the authorities.
- Staying with scam emails, check the sender’s address as when the correspondence is fake, it will usually display an email address unrelated to the legitimate company.
- Avoid suspicious websites – many internet browsers now advise you if the site you’re navigating to is potentially dodgy.
- Use strong passwords with a mixture of numbers, letters and special characters and avoid using personal passwords, like your birth date, that could be easy to guess. Change your PINs regularly, and immediately if you suspect your account has been accessed.
- Be careful of how much personal information you share online.
- Stay up to date and seek security advice from trusted sources, such as the Internet User Security Office and other specialised IT security institutions.
A range of tips and information for your devices can be found on the Telecable website.
Image: Pexels
Tel: +34 966 196 000
Excom / Telecable offers top value internet, television and telephone services using a combination of wireless and fibre optic to provide flexible, fast and reliable services to thousands of users in the Alicante province and Mazarrón and Los Alcázares in the Murcia region.
With nearly 30 years of reliable service (Telecable Santa Pola was founded as a fibre optic television provider for the town of Santa Pola in 1993 before expanding rapidly throughout Alicante), Grupo Telecable, a company of Excom, connects thousands of users to essential communications services, guaranteeing reliability, quality service with an ample and experienced technical back-up team, extensive coverage and realistic and competitive pricing for internet, as well as landline or mobile telephone, and television with over 170 international channels.
We currently offer our services in the majority of the Alicante province and some areas of Murcia. We connect thousands of customers in Denia, El Altet, Arenales del Sol, Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, La Marina, Campo de Elche, Guardamar, San Luis – La Siesta – El Chaparral – El Dorado – El Limonar – Punta La Vívora – El Salado – Torretas – Torrevieja – La Zenia – Los Dolses – Villamartín – Las Filipinas – Los Montesinos – Orihuela Costa – La Mata, Los Alcazares and Camposol.
We solve any problem that might occur with your connection within 24 hours or less using our own highly trained service team.
What are our principal services?
Internet
Services offered from just 20 euros per month, either via wireless or fibre optic connections and telephone and television services can be added for complete packages, and they always have attractive offers and deals on, so ask about their latest promotions.
Wimax telecable gives a secure and stable connection for areas without fibre optic coverage, offering guaranteed speed for the service you choose and up to 50 Mbps transmission.
Fibre optic FTTH packages connect directly to your home, so there is no branching, no loss or variation in the fast connection speed and no falsification of the upload speed possible; the speed we quote is the speed you get.
• This is a reliable, secure and trustworthy service and we passionately believe that we offer the best internet service in the areas we cover with a reliable signal, connecting your computer, mobile phone, gaming consol, tablet and more to enjoy internet connection in the comfort of your home or office.
In addition, holiday home owners can suspend the Internet, television and landline telephone service, and with just an email can activate or deactivate the service as often as they wish.
Social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/excom_es/
Our branches :
Alicante province:
Denia: Av. de Valencia,50. Phone: 966196001
Gran Alacant: Av. Escandinavia, 72. Phone: 966196000
Santa Pola: Plaza Maestro Quislant, 6. Phone: 966694005
La Marina: Calle Estocolmo, Rotonda de las Antenas. Phone: 966196000
Guardamar: Calle Madrid, 21. Phone:966196000
Ciudad Quesada: Av. De Las Naciones, 1.Phone: 966196000
San Luis: Plaza Tolosa. Phone: 966196000
Murcia region:
Los Alcázares: Av. De La Libertad, 257. Phone: 868 17 07 00
Camposol: C.C. Sector A. Phone: 968 17 11 44
