How does the scam work?
The message looks like it comes from someone you know. It asks you to vote for a girl with a name such as "Sophie" or "Eliska" in a dance contest.
The link opens a fake voting page. It asks for your phone number and then shows a code, with instructions to enter it in WhatsApp under "Linked devices".
The code does not confirm a vote, as INCIBE explains. It can give the fraudsters an extra WhatsApp session, and at first the victim does not lose access on their own phone.
Then the criminals can write in the victim's name, pass the scam on to more contacts or demand money. The police point out that a familiar sender number does not prove the person wrote the message themselves.
What does this mean for holidaymakers and residents in the Canary Islands?
The Canary Islands have no special rules, fees, deadlines or access restrictions for residents, foreign residents or visitors. In principle the warning applies to all WhatsApp users, and a Canarian address is not a requirement for being affected.
The available primary sources name no victim count, no total financial loss and no regional statistic for the Canary Islands. So nobody can say reliably how many people on the islands are affected.
The warning stays relevant until further notice. No end date or further official appointment has been announced.
What should you do if you receive such a message?
The police advise you not to click the link, not to enter any phone number, codes or other data and not to forward the message. Check the supposed request through another channel, ideally by phone.
If you opened the link but have not entered a code in WhatsApp, close the page and ignore the instructions. Then check the linked devices in WhatsApp and log out of any unknown sessions immediately.
If a session is already compromised, the authorities advise you to warn your contacts, secure evidence such as screenshots and activate two-step verification. If you lost money, contact your bank immediately and file a report.
Where can those affected get help and advice?
INCIBE offers cybersecurity advice through the free, confidential number 017. The Guardia Civil accepts a telematic report (filed online) of fraud and fraudulent charges committed via computer or mobile phone.
You need an electronic signature for that. Otherwise you can file the report in person at a Guardia Civil post, a Policía Nacional station or the duty court.
For urgent information, the Guardia Civil gives the telephone numbers 062 and 112. For the report, keep messages, sender numbers, links, screenshots and evidence of charges.
Which similar scam patterns are known?
The Policía Nacional documents a recurring pattern: fraud cases that spread via WhatsApp and SMS with supposed prize draws, special offers or gifts. The aim can be to obtain personal data, sign the victim up to premium SMS services or lure them onto phishing pages.
The police also warn about shortened links and tempting messages that can hide viruses or redirect to fraudulent pages. In unverified prize draws, never give names, addresses, phone numbers, bank details, passwords or codes received by SMS or WhatsApp.
Do not open suspicious links, and do not install apps offered through messages or supposed prizes. After a fraudulent charge, the police advise you to contact your bank immediately and file a report.
What is known about the spread in the Canary Islands?
The official information does not prove a specific "fake dance contest" campaign in the Canary Islands. It gives no regional figures, no annual development, no comparison between the islands and no cost or programme details.
The available results contain no BOC resolutions, no official Canarian statistics and no INE or ISTAC data. None of them proves a specific development of this scam on the islands in the last one to three years.
The warning is therefore considered a general precaution for all users. It is not a response to a documented increase in the Canary Islands.