Portuguese authorities are grappling with an unprecedented wave of fraud, driven by sophisticated artificial intelligence techniques. The campaign, described as “intense and massive,” has led to a surge in complaints and prompted a coordinated response from law enforcement and telecommunications operators.
Unprecedented Surge in Complaints
In a press conference held at the PJ headquarters in Lisbon, José Ribeiro, the criminal investigation coordinator from the National Unit for Combating Cybercrime and Technological Crime (UNC3T), highlighted the alarming use of AI by foreign criminal networks. This has resulted in an unusual number of complaints to the institution.
“At this moment, our concern lies with a current campaign in which thousands of phone calls have been massively distributed, resulting in an unusual number of complaints. Just last weekend, we received more than a hundred,” said Ribeiro. He assured that the PJ is “working together with operators” to identify these spoofing techniques, which involve identity falsification to obtain data.
