Paraguay sees rise in phishing complaints

Update September 10, 2026: the story now includes new official and judicial data on the growth of digital fraud in Paraguay, including 12,642 cases opened between 2020 and July 2025, 2,610 reports handled by CERT-PY in 2025, and new MITIC alerts about scams spread through social media, WhatsApp and SMS.

Reports in Paraguay of identity theft, phishing, bank account draining, and the takeover of messaging and social media accounts have increased, according to specialist Miguel Ángel Gaspar in an interview published by a Paraguayan outlet. In the same coverage, he said more than 9 million data points were exposed on the web and described that volume as the biggest attack vector in a long time, or possibly the largest in the country’s history.

What did Gaspar say about the rise in attacks?

Gaspar said reports of identity theft, phishing, bank account draining, and the takeover of messaging and social media accounts have risen in Paraguay. His view was that cybercriminals are using AI to improve the attack vector, according to the interview published by Caaguazú Noticias Digital.

How significant is the exposed data?

The specialist said Paraguay had more than 9 million exposed data points on the web. In that same coverage, he said that volume represented the biggest attack vector in a long time, or even the largest in the country’s history, an alarm that puts the availability of personal information at the center of identity fraud.

The warning aligns with material from Kaspersky Latam, which explains that overexposure of personal data, such as ID documents, addresses, phone numbers and financial information, raises the risk of identity fraud and impersonation that can bypass security checks. It also matches technical analyses of phishing and account theft campaigns that capture credentials, phone numbers and one-time authentication codes to hijack access and reuse passwords across other services.

What other events add context to that risk in Paraguay?

Paraguayan prosecutors carried out a forensic analysis of Copaco’s Administrative and Financial System in a case involving the alleged diversion of about G. 1.1 billion into personal accounts. That case adds a possible internal abuse angle involving systems and credentials at a telecom company that is central to the country’s digital and financial ecosystem.

At the same time, La Nación Paraguay’s coverage of alleged scams involving a supposed AI model clarified that, at that point, there was no confirmation that the profile was AI or formal complaints tied to the alleged cash scams. That distinction leaves the technical attribution open and requires separating a suspected fraud from a forensic confirmation.

Internationally, the ClarityCheck global leak exposed 9,042,977 files containing face images and profile records, with an estimated total of 450 GB. Later analysis found the database was hosted in public cloud storage without a password or encryption, with folders labeled "faces" and "profiles," which increases the risk of biometric reuse and the creation of fake identities.

That context adds to reporting on the 2024 Snowflake breach, where the theft of information from more than 160 organizations was linked to reused credentials. It also adds another layer to Check Point’s blocked phishing campaign, built around debt forgiveness and financial aid, and Malwarebytes’ analysis of TikTok scams, where attackers capture credentials and authentication codes to take over accounts and move the attack to other services.

What do the official data and recent cases show?

Available data point to growing pressure from financial fraud and cyber incidents in Paraguay. According to El Prisma, between 2020 and July 2025, 12,642 cases were recorded involving four of the main cybercrimes investigated by prosecutors, and MITIC said CERT-PY coordinated and handled 2,610 cybersecurity incident reports in 2025.

Prosecutors also reported, in an information fraud case, an initial transfer of G. 20,000,000 and a later routing of that sum through SIPAP to another account, according to the Public Ministry. In January 2026, it also filed charges against 27 people for fraud through computer systems to the detriment of a sole proprietorship, a case that shows large group structures and significant amounts affecting the private sector.

What warnings did MITIC and CERT-PY issue?

MITIC and CERT-PY released several warnings about phishing campaigns and digital fraud in 2025 and 2026. These included a December 2025 alert about the fake "Bono Social Navideño 2025," spread through social media and WhatsApp to capture personal and banking data through fraudulent links, and another year-end warning about fake giveaways and promotions using false links.

MITIC also published a guide to common digital fraud methods in Paraguay, with recommendations to file reports with the National Police Cybercrime Unit, contact the bank to block access, and report incidents to abuse@cert.gov.py at CERT-PY. Later, CERT-PY warned about fake traffic tickets sent by SMS, with websites that imitate official ones, while MITIC alerted the public to scammers impersonating public institutions with artificial intelligence and paid advertising on social media.

What does the complaint trend look like?

Open data from Paraguay’s prosecutor’s office show that between 2015 and 2025, the total number of reported offenses rose 121%, and that simple fraud was among the most reported crimes, with 14,374 complaints in 2025. While that series does not break out only the digital version, it does show sustained pressure from financial fraud on the criminal justice system.

CERT-PY also reported 8,309 cyber incident reports between January 2023 and July 2026, of which it handled 4,109 as confirmed incidents. In 2026 alone, according to Última Hora, it logged 1,221 reports and treated 446 incidents, reinforcing the trend of heavier operational demand on the agency.