“The technology the devil loads it…” say and repeat our grandparents. In this case, they are right: the Civil Guard and consumer association Facua warn of a new digital scam: the scam of ‘reverse bizum‘. It is nothing new that the instant payment system is very fashionable: it already has more than 10 million of users in Spainis used more and more and, therefore, moves more money. In fact, the platform has already had to deny that it will be paid. Now, in addition, it is a good vein for the scammers.
The success of Bizum is such that Barcelona City Council will allow fines to be paid through this system as of 2023. The service was created in 2016 to allow payments between individuals Y shopsbut rebounded in 2019 with the collaboration of the spanish banking. In this sense, most banks and entities already integrate the service in their applications and websites.
They take phone numbers from ad pages
As his popularity grows, so does his fraudulent use. The new scam that the authorities are warning about is very simple. So much so that “it is very easy to fall,” warns Facua. The ‘reverse Bizum’ scam consists of taking data from people who have put their phone number in ad pages. They pretend to be someone interested in them and that’s where the deception begins.
Scammers send a request for money. In the concept they put things like “payment” either “fertilizer“. The victims, when reading it, think that it is true and when clicking, what they are really doing is to pay the scammers. The Civil Guard emphasizes that it is important to pay close attention to this type of operation because thieves play to mislead users.
The police recover more than 6,000 euros in Navarra
The Civil Guard has reported that in Navarre Has got recover 6,300 euros in a case in which up to 9,000 euros were defrauded. For this case, the agents are investigating two men aged 25 and 45 who reside in Murcia, whom they have accused of a crime of fraud.
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At the moment they accept the request, the victims are giving their consent for the payment of money to be made. In this sense, Facua recalls the difference between a bizum shipping and one money request. “In money transfers, the receiver does not have to take any action, the amount reaches his account directly,” sources from the organization explain.
In the case of requests, the person receiving a request must confirm that you want to make the payment through a message that clearly specifies if the user wants to make a payment to the person who is sending the request. On the other hand, to accept or reject the request, you must access the banking app“, they detail.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism