More than 70% of people who connected to the internet during the last six months of 2021 said they had experienced some form of online fraud, according to the Study on perception and level of trust in Spain, prepared by ObservaCiber. Most cases involved invitations to visit suspicious websites (63.2%), followed by unsolicited offers of services or products (46.5%) and requests for passwords or personal information (24.3%). These threats, which the Maldita.es Foundation has been detecting since its beginnings, are becoming increasingly common and reach users directly through their mobile phones or computers and through any channel: SMS, emails, messaging platforms, social media, buying and selling websites, etc.
The ObservaCiber study highlights another important figure: more than 90% of the population say they need training in internet safety. In this context, Maldito Timo was created to respond to this need for cybersecurity education among users. Clara Jiménez Cruz, co-founder and CEO of the Maldita.es Foundation, highlights: "At Maldita.es, we have spent years detecting and debunking scam attempts, which have grown exponentially especially since the pandemic, when crime moved online according to the security forces and law enforcement agencies. We are aware that anyone is vulnerable to these attacks, and with this project we want to equip the public with technological and journalistic tools so they can learn to identify them and protect themselves." To this end, Maldito Timo has the support of ESET España, a leading IT security company. ESET España states: “Our commitment to cybersecurity is total, not only through our solutions, but also through our intensive awareness-raising work, which is why we are very pleased to be part of this initiative, which allows us, together with Maldita.es, to continue working so that we can all enjoy, and make the most of, the internet in a safer way”.
Within the Maldita.es Foundation, Maldito Timo will focus on warning about the most viral cyber scams that use different techniques, such as phishing or identity theft, and that affect our daily consumption or even cryptocurrency investments. Maldito Timo will also address the most common modus operandi used by cybercriminals; provide advice on how to recognise and avoid falling for these attacks; and offer guides on how to proceed if we have been victims of a scam. Maldito Timo articles will carry a Creative Commons BY-SA licence, which allows republication, as is the case with all content from the Maldita.es Foundation.
The “scam inbox”: a direct way of communicating with users
Maldito Timo will have a “scam inbox”, via the email address [email protected], to which anyone who has been the victim of an online scam or detected one in time can write in order to communicate directly with the team at the Maldita.es Foundation and describe their case. In this way, the Maldita.es Foundation can detect the cyber threats that put the public’s money and personal data at risk.
In addition, the Maldita.es Foundation will continue to make its WhatsApp chatbot (+34 644 229 319) available to any citizen, a service through which the community can also alert us to any cyberattack attempts they receive. This technological development won the European Press Prize 2021 in the Innovation category for its pioneering approach to fighting the problem of disinformation in private messaging channels.
With the aim of responding to the community’s needs, efforts will also be devoted to resolving questions about cybersecurity and technology sent by readers through the “scam inbox” or the WhatsApp chatbot. To this end, the project will include a monthly advice column and a glossary of terms describing, in simple language, concepts related to internet safety.
Other formats: live streams on Twitch and a presence on other social media
Maldito Timo will also cover other formats and will be present on the streaming platform Twitch, through the Maldita.es channel (twitch.tv/malditaes), where we will learn about cybersecurity with the help of experts. To reach a wider audience, alerts and advice will also be published in video format on Tiktok (@malditobulo), as well as on other social media such as Twitter (https://twitter.com/maldito_timo) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/malditotimo/).