Impersonation is a serious crime for the perpetrator and for those who collaborate with him. For this reason, the fact detected by the Madrid Capital FinTech (MAD FinTech) cluster with the convening of an ‘official event’, which was never authorised, is extremely serious and can be used for the purposes of fraud and asset-raising. It is this alleged MAD FinTech ‘Matchmaking’, which is totally fraudulent.
It happened recently to Alcampo and other big brands. Now, MAD FinTech has discovered that some hackers have created an event impersonating the identity of MAD FinTech, as they use its anagram (logo) and claim to address MAD FinTech partners.
Salvador Molina, president of the cluster, warns: “Beware of these alleged criminals or hackers who have already been reported for their deception to the National Police Force and, moreover, the facts have been incorporated into the legal actions”.
According to the cluster’s lawyers: “The document (of convocation) has not been issued, nor authorised, nor known in any way by MAD FinTech (…), which understands that it is a false document, published with the probable intention of misleading MAD FinTech’s members and followers and causing damage to the association. That there is no MAD FinTech event for that date, neither under the name that appears in the document, nor under any other name”.
“MAD FinTech with this communiqué -the cluster informs- wants to put on record that this event detected on the Internet and Social Networks has not been convened by Madrid Capital FinTech (MAD FinTech), but that someone with devious interests is summoning the cluster members to this meeting with clear purposes of fraud, misappropriation and possible fraud”. The State Security Forces will carry out their investigative work in order to clarify the facts.
We recall that the concept of ‘phishing’ is used to refer to computer abuses committed by criminals to defraud, obtain personal information, etc. in an illegal manner. Or as Wikipedia explains: “Identity theft or identity usurpation is the appropriation of a person’s identity: impersonating that person, assuming that person’s identity to others in public or private (…) for the purpose of obtaining credit and other benefits in that person’s name”.
Prison sentences of up to 5 years
Article 278 of the Spanish Penal Code defines this case as follows: “Anyone who, in order to uncover a trade secret, takes possession by any means of data, written or electronic documents, computer media or other objects relating to it, or uses any of the means or instruments referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 278 of the Spanish Penal Code, may even be guilty of the following: “Anyone who, in order to uncover a trade secret, takes possession by any means of data, written or electronic documents, computer media or other objects relating to it, or uses any of the means or instruments referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 278 of the Article 197, shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of two to four years and a fine of twelve to twenty-four months. 2. A prison sentence of three to five years and a fine of twelve to twenty-four months shall be imposed if the secrets discovered are disseminated, disclosed or transferred to third parties.
Persons who have used data files to disseminate this event among MAD FinTech cluster partners could be necessary collaborators who are incurring in these articles of the Spanish Penal Code and other criminal offences.
In the announcement posted on the Internet, it is expressly stated that it is a “networking day for members of the MAD FinTech cluster”, which is a deception and a bait to catch the unwary. In addition, the official logo of the cluster is inserted, although it is smeared with a fraudulent overprinted “Tourism Commission” label.
All this reliable information and other relevant information related to it is already in the hands of the Spanish Justice and State Security Forces.
