Puerto Rico’s Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO) warned consumers about an email fraud scheme that falsely tells recipients their cloud storage service has been deactivated and must be reactivated to keep saving photos and messages. Acting DACO Secretary Erwin "Farito" Álvarez said technical staff of the Unit for the Detection of Fraudulent Schemes Against the Consumer identified the scheme, which seeks to obtain victims’ financial information.
The email says upload and sync activity has been paused and no new data is being saved. It also claims the storage space reached 100%, supposedly preventing photos and message attachments from being saved. The message includes a button to reactivate the service.
Pressing it leads to a form requesting bank account or credit card details. Álvarez said in written statements that the scheme aims to steal financial data such as bank account and credit or debit card numbers. He described it as sophisticated and using graphic material to look real and genuine, which it is not.
He urged consumers not to take any action without first checking with their email service provider. The unit was created in 2023 to identify and inform consumers about new methods of illegally obtaining data. According to DACO, the unit has identified about 53 fraudulent schemes so far in 2026.