Careful! These are the most common scams you should avoid 2026

David Hansen
Careful! These are the most common scams you should avoid - grandgoldman.com
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Index

The most common victims are elderly people, unemployed or people in financial need, but no one is safe from falling into a scam . Scams in Spain have increased in recent years, especially in the digital field, That's why you must be careful and avoid falling into them.

  • How to improve security at home?: tips and tricks

Scammers keep trying doing business in a criminal manner, as they have always done, however, now they have much more powerful tools that allow them to go much further, to the safety of your home.


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Careful! These are the most common scams you should avoid

According to the Crime Balance of 2024, prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, registered 110,268 violations due to computer scams only in the first quarter, which represents a 14.3% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.

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These figures indicate that the Cyber ​​scams constitute 90.1% of all the cybercrime and the 18.2% of the total crime in Spain. Therefore, it is more urgent than ever to be prepared to confront criminals and Do not fall into their deceptions.

Types of scams you should avoid

Scams are no longer just behind the door, on the street or in an establishment outside your home, but now they are also behind the computer screen. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we are alert and know the main tricks of criminals so as not to fall into their deceptions.

Therefore, we summarize here the main types of scam and how to avoid them, whether they are traditional scams in a Spanish city or those that use the Internet.

pyramid scam

This type of fraud is primarily aimed at those people who want to invest their money and get a certain return on your savings, something very common to maintain good health in the personal finances.

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However, the victim is usually someone who does not understand or know very good the financial world and this type of fraud is usually very effective. It works by using money from new entrants to pay the first investors, Instead of generating real profits with a legitimate commercial activity.

The pyramid schemes They are characterized because main income comes from fees that new participants pay to invest, instead of benefits of a business, actual sales to end consumers or the actual return on an investment.

The victims invest in a business or asset that, in reality, no profit or returns, they invest in something empty, in a deception, and receive benefits for a period of time thanks to the entry of new victims, who transfer new money into the system to invest.

However, this causes a snowball effect that sooner or later ends up collapsing with catastrophic consequences . In this case, an alarm connected to a ARC will not be able to do anything for those affected. You must report to the police and it will be difficult to recover what was invested.

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Family and/or tow truck scam

Scammers often target older people who live alone. For get information about your life and environment, they resort to various strategies, such as asking neighbors or simulate statistical surveys.

¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

The data they seek includes existence of children or relatives nearby, especially if they reside in another city or country, as well as details about your employment, vehicles or any other relevant aspect.

Once they have gathered enough information, The criminals show up at the victim's house and, taking advantage of the data obtained about their relatives, They request an amount of money. They usually justify the urgency with excuses such as unexpected problem during a trip, like need to pay for a tow truck.

In order not to raise suspicions, The requested amount is not too high. Another variant of the scam consists of offering a supposedly valuable object at a very low price, ensuring that a son or brother of the victim gave them his confidence to close the transaction.

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¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

In reality, these articles are usually worthless imitations. Once their goal is achieved, the scammers disappear. In some cases, fraud is accompanied by theft. The victim, by believing in the story and trusting the supposed relationship of scammers with their family, Allows them to enter your home.

They also occur scams at the moment that you rent your house, That is why it is important that you be alert and follow certain safety guidelines.

Shimming

This scam consists of stealing the data stored on credit cards in your EMV microchip. By obtaining this information, it is possible create an identical duplicate that is fraudulent.

Its objective is to obtain the bank details of a credit card through the information stored on the chip of it. As? Chaffing the slot in which the cards are inserted, for example, that of a ATM.

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Phishing

Phishing is a scam in which criminals they pose as entities such as banks, companies or official organizations to deceive people and obtain information such as passwords, phone numbers, credit cards or access credentials, a scam often repeated in different contexts.

Generally, it is done through emails, fake text messages or websites that They imitate the originals. These messages usually include links that lead to fraudulent pages where the victim enters their data without realizing that she is being deceived.

The goal of phishing is steal sensitive information to commit fraud, make unauthorized purchases or even impersonate the victim's identity. Criminals usually impersonate entities such as the AEAT, Correos, Traffic, Renfe or other public organizations, as well as recognized brands.

Job offer scam

Un Eye-catching advertisement in the employment section from any newspaper can be enough for some scammers to obtain big profits.

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https://youtu.be/EQ0zLKQwJ4w?si=BQ1ESn4KycH8hNzT

When a person responds to the supposed job offer, you will request payment of a certain sum of money in exchange for more details about the available position or, in any case, request your personal data, which includes sensitive data such as full name, DNI or Social Security number.

Other Internet scams

Advance Payment Scams

The victim is convinced of transfer money with the promise of receive a larger sum in the future.

Online shopping scams

A website publishes a advertisement for a luxury car for sale. The alleged seller claims that he cannot complete the transaction in person because he resides abroad, but proposes that an acquaintance of his move the vehicle after receiving a down payment.

¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

Actually, the car does not exist and it will never be delivered. This type of fraud also applies to other products or services, not just vehicles.

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Sentimental deception or romantic scams

A scammer uses dating apps or messaging for pretend love interest on the victim, sending attractive photos (that are not theirs).

¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

Once he gains their trust, he sets up a meeting, but request money to pay for flights, accommodation or resolve a personal emergency, such as health problems or difficulties abroad.

In some cases, claims to have inside information about a lucrative investment, but always urgently need money.

Extortion with threats

a criminal pretends to be a murderer for hire and sends an email claiming to have received an assignment to eliminate the victim.

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Then, offers the possibility of withdrawing if paid an amount of money. Sometimes even proposes to eliminate the supposed client who ordered the attack. They can also threaten kidnappings, assaults or attacks with explosives, demanding money to not carry them out.

¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

Fake charity campaigns

a scammer pretends to be a charity and asks for donations to help with natural disasters, terrorist attacks or serious illnesses, such as cancer or AIDS.

Often use logos of recognized entities to make the scam credible. This type of fraud has been common in crises like hurricane katrina or the 2004 tsunami.

Fraudulent job offers

Si has published his resume on the internet, scammers can collect your data and contact you with an attractive job offer. However, before starting the alleged employment, They ask for a prior payment for procedures or material, although The job doesn't really exist.

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¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

False business opportunities and jobs from home: Business opportunities with high income or very profitable jobs are promoted. However, an initial payment is required to obtain permits or purchase materials.

In the more sophisticated versions of this scam, the criminals create websites with a professional appearance to make victims believe that The offer is legitimate.

Installers or inspectors

Scammers arrive at the victim's home dressed in work clothes and are presented as company technicians supply of gas, electricity or other service. They claim that they must perform a review of the installation, gaining the resident's trust.

¡Cuidado! Estas son las estafas más comunes que debes evitar

Once inside, pretend to carry out tasks techniques, although, generally, They only make small changes, such as replacing a section of gas hose or performing a minimal repair. At the end, they deliver an invoice charging for the supposed service provided.

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In this case, surveillance cameras and the best home security systems in 2025 can be useful to identify the scammer, but it will not always be easy to find their whereabouts after disappear with your money.

En Yoigo Alarms We can help you make your home and business much safer in 2025. To do this, you can enter our website or call 900 622 398.

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David Hansen

Author

David Hansen

An engineer, author and high-tech enthusiast whose passion has been evolving for 12 years. After contributing to numerous online publications, David shares his experiences and discoveries on Grand Goldman. He focuses on Smart Homes, Connected Devices, and how they will improve our lives and society in the future.


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