A man was charged this Monday as co-author of a scam carried out through the Mercado Pago App. In the file, there is another man accused who could not be properly notified and charges will be brought against him at a later hearing.
In the case developed this Monday by Zoom, the Prosecutor’s Office attributed to the accused having accessed the victim’s Mercado Pago account and “prior to carrying out a key generation procedure using the subscriber number of his consort.” They requested a loan and then made five transfers that were sent to their own Mercado Pago account.
The total loss of the person who made the complaint reached 123,000 pesos. The legal qualification imposed is that of fraud as a co-author in accordance with Arts. 45 and 172 of the Penal Code.
The file began with the victim’s complaint, which also provides documentation related to the incident. The evidentiary support, from there, consists of a subsequent examination carried out by the Telecommunications Investigation Office that corroborates the movements in the victim’s account and detects the chip used to impersonate his identity.
Add to this proof of address, report of financial movements of the accused, details of the beneficiaries of subsequent transfers, among other documentation.
Without objections from the official Defense, the Judge of Guarantees considered the charges formulated and opened the preparatory criminal investigation for a period of four months.
Tips to avoid scams
– Don’t toast no personal data (ID, full name, date of birth) no bank details (CBU, account number, card numbers, security key) to unknown people over the phone or in response to emails.
– Check the email address or that the networks are official with the accent that thus identifies it. No company uses free servers, public organizations do not make WhatsApp calls.
– The official pages have before the start of the domain / URL a padlock that shows that it actually belongs to the company. Pay attention because the design is the same as the original, with some often imperceptible modifications.
– Do not make payments by bank transfer nor by collection agencies such as Pago Fácil, Rapipago or Western Union to credit you with a prize or benefit.
– Don’t go to ATMs and do not follow the steps they tell you on the phone
– If you did not participate in any contest, it is very unlikely that you will win a prize in a surprising way whether it is a car, cash, appliances, trips or other things.
