Online fraud in Spain experienced a year-on-year growth of 50% in the first 4 months of 2006, according to Victor Domingo, president of the Internet Users Association. Although cybercrime may not be viewed as a pressing concern in Spain, according to some sources, the country occupies third place in the world in the Internet fraud league table.

For instance, over the past 18 months some 500 bogus websites of banks and other financial institution used in phishing attacks have been detected. In all, 206 massive phishing attacks on Spanish financial institutions were seen in 2005. The level of bot infections has also grown a staggering 175% between 2004 and 2005. And while 70% of all malware detected in the first 3 months of 2006 was related to cybercrime (spyware, bots, backdoors), nearly two thirds (60%) of all Wi-Fi networks remained unprotected.

Given the fact that the average sum stolen by means of online fraud has now reached 6,383 euros, the government and affected financial institutions are beginning to take the issue seriously. The Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade has launched a new initiative to stop online fraud by informing Internet users of the dangers and how they can protect themselves. The government has timed this campaign against fraud specifically to target those Internet users who will be online more often than normal due to the summer holidays. According to sources in the Spanish police, there were 2,514 registered complaints of cyberfraud in 2005, many of which are difficult to pursue given the nature of cybercrime itself. Spanish authorities will be hoping that better informed users will lead to a reduction in cyberfraud.