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as SciELO, Redalyc, Google Scholar, and
Ecuadorian university repositories, during the
period January 2020-December 2024.
Searching terms included “phishing Ecuador,”
digital evidence,” “Budapest Convention,” and
“cybercrime,” in Spanish and English.
Inclusion criteria: peer-reviewed articles,
Master’s degree/PhD theses, and official
documents. Exclusion: sources lacking
academic validation, before 2020. This
analysis revealed that the Comprehensive
Organic Penal Code (COIP, by its Spanish
acronym) criminalizes behavior associated
with phishing, but maintains a punitive
approach without clear technical guidelines for
the collection and preservation of digital
evidence. On the other hand, the Budapest
Convention establishes advanced mechanisms
for cooperation and data preservation that are
more effective against the volatility of
information. Additionally, regulatory gaps
were identified in Ecuadorian legislation,
particularly regarding jurisdiction and inter-
institutional coordination. The conclusion is
that Ecuador faces structural and regulatory
gaps for the prosecution of transnational
phishing. Adherence to the Budapest
Convention emerges as a viable alternative,
provided it is complemented by local reforms,
institutional reinforcement, and the
development of technical protocols that
guarantee the validity of digital evidence in
international judicial proceedings.
Keywords: Transnational phishing, digital
evidence, International cooperation.
Sumário
This study aimed to analyze the regulation of
cross-border phishing and the collection of
digital evidence within the Ecuadorian legal
framework, comparing it with the international
standards of the Budapest Convention, in order
to identify regulatory gaps and limitations in
practical application. Qualitative documentary
research was conducted through a systematic
search of the Scielo, Redalyc, and Google
Scholar databases, as well as Ecuadorian
university repositories, covering the period
from January 2020 to December 2024. Search
terms included "phishing Ecuador," "digital
evidence," "Budapest Convention," and
"cybercrime" in both Spanish and English.
Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed
articles, master's/doctoral theses, and official
documents. Exclusion criteria included sources
without academic validation and those
published before 2020. The analysis revealed
that the Comprehensive Organic Criminal
Code (COIP) criminalizes conduct associated
with phishing but maintains a punitive
approach without clear technical guidelines for
the collection and preservation of digital
evidence. On the other hand, the Budapest
Convention establishes advanced mechanisms
for cooperation and data preservation that are
more effective in the face of information
volatility. Regulatory gaps were also identified
in Ecuadorian legislation, especially regarding
jurisdiction and inter-institutional
coordination. It is concluded that Ecuador faces
structural and regulatory limitations in
prosecuting cross-border phishing. Adherence
to the Budapest Convention emerges as a viable
alternative, provided it is complemented by
internal reforms, institutional strengthening,
and the development of technical protocols that
guarantee the validity of digital evidence in
international legal proceedings.
Palavras-chave: Cross-border phishing,
Digital evidence, International cooperation..
Introducción
En la actualidad, el phishing transfronterizo se
ha establecido como uno de los peligros
cibernéticos más relevantes, caracterizado por
utilizar técnicas fraudulentas para obtener
claves y datos personales. Este delito no
solamente genera un deterioro financiero en las
víctimas, sino también se presenta como un reto
para la justicia penal, ya que la evidencia digital
puede estar distribuida en distintas
jurisdicciones y su conservación rápida es
fundamental para la acción procesal. En
Ecuador, el Código Orgánico Integral Penal
(COIP, 2014), establece como delito situaciones
relacionadas con la estafa digital, el ingreso a