Overview

• President Dina Boluarte urged people not to answer or open messages from unfamiliar numbers, to note the contact and to file reports with the National Police, especially when calls do not carry Peru’s +51 code.
• She warned that extortion schemes now include false remittances, fake bank prizes and phony job offers, with many contacts originating from foreign numbers.
• Interior Minister Carlos Malaver backed the guidance, citing rising cybercrime risks such as account draining and data cloning, and he rejected suggestions that the advice is simplistic.
• Officials said police investigation and digital‑tracing units have been reinforced, with recent operations and arrests reported in several regions targeting groups tied to phone‑based threats and illegal collections.
• The government said it is preparing measures that include shutting off more than 1.5 million illicit SIM cards and a decree to disable phones used by criminals, while transport workers press security demands after a Lipetsa driver was killed.