The Civil Guard's warning to all of Spain: danger of fraud caused by the theft of millions of DGT data

It was in May 2024 when the Traffic Research and Analysis Group (GIAT) of the Civil Guard began investigating a possible cyberattack on the driver database of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) after discovering that a database containing information on more than 34 million Spanish drivers had been put up for sale.

The leaked information includes names, addresses, phone numbers , and ID numbers, as well as vehicle data such as model, age, license plate, chassis number, and even insurance information.

"We have access to any license plate or driver's document. We also sell the entire database, with 34.5 million rows," stated the forum where the database was put up for sale.

In addition to containing the names, ID numbers, and addresses of drivers registered with the DGT, as well as relevant information about their vehicles, this database functions as a search engine that allows users to access information about each individual at their leisure.

With this information, cybercriminals would only need the phone numbers and email addresses of those targeted (information that isn't very difficult to obtain) to carry out any type of scam, especially those related to identity fraud.

The problem is that these types of scams continue to reach users, convincingly impersonating the DGT, even slipping in among official SMS communications we receive from this agency.

For example, there's a resurgence of the well-known "pending fine" scam, in which they urgently inform you that you have a fine and that you can pay it through the link they share. They tell you that you only have 24 hours left to scare you into acting without thinking and not stopping to analyze the situation, since the link they share is fraudulent and only seeks to get you to enter your personal and banking information in order to steal it from you.

• The DGT will never notify you of a fine via SMS or email.
• If you have any doubts, access the DG T app to check; all your fines appear there.
• The deadlines for paying fines are always greater than 24 hours if it's the first time you've been notified.
• Although the website is almost identical to the official DGT website, the link name doesn't match.