Bizum is one of the best options to send and receive money. We pay half in restaurants or gifts from colleagues. But there are also many problems that we can have and you should be careful. Bizum scams are common and we will show you which are the most common that you may suffer and that you should avoid.
There are many Bizum scams that users, the Civil Guard and the Police have alerted. And we must take them into account to avoid them or solve them as soon as possible. Wallapop scams or the classic reverse Bizum scam. If you don’t know what it is and it worries you, we’ll explain it to you.
Most common Bizum scams
Among the most common we find that they ask us for money posing as a payment, they assure us that there are offers in our telephone company, etc.
fake buyer
A scam that occurs frequently on platforms and applications for buying and selling second-hand products. There are hundreds of testimonials from people who have suffered scams on Wallapop and Bizum scams due to other similar applications. Because? Because instead of paying you what you are going to sell, they ask you for money. The outcome is that you will lose the money and you will lose the product that you have already sent to that person.
From Bizum they alert that if you receive a message in the application you are receiving a request for money and you are not receiving the money. Carelessness and trust makes us accept. The seller, in this case the scammed, does not read the concept well. And by accepting the operation, what he is doing is paying the other user. Making a payment instead of a collection. As we say, you lose what you are selling and you lose your money. It is the reverse Bizum scam and it is one of the most frequent so you must be careful.
whatsapp contact
The Civil Guard has also alerted on occasions about another of the most frequent Bizum scams. A supposed contact from our agenda claims us through WhatsApp for an income that he supposedly made us by mistake. If it is someone you trust, we do not verify the veracity of what you are telling us. We make the refund of the money we will lose it. Of course, in this scam we have not received the income, nor is the person requesting it from a contact in our phone book, but rather a scammer who has managed to use his phone number. Or impersonate someone.
The best thing in this case is to take a few minutes to check if what our alleged contact is claiming is true. We talk to that person through a call to make sure that it is not a scam. In addition, you can also review your movements in Bizum to check if it is true that they have made us a deposit.
Fraudulent calls from mobile operators
The Police also warn us that calls from mobile operators promising offers or a reduction in our bill are also an opportunity for them to deceive us. If we accept the offer, they will ask us to provide them with our bank account or credit card. The scammers then associate that data with a Bizum account. When doing this, a PIN will be required to be able to carry out the different operations.
For this reason, scammers convince the victim by assuring that it is a code to activate an offer. Actually, it is a code that activates Bizum from another device. And they will steal your money. That is why you should never give out the code and you should pay attention to all the details.
Social Security Scam
Vishing is a fraud that is carried out through a telephone call with the aim of obtaining personal or bank details of the person who receives the call. One of the most popular vishing scams is known as the “Social Security scam.” The Internet User Security Office already alerted at the time of the alleged scam that consists of making calls that impersonate Social Security to charge users through Bizum.
How is this scam carried out? A supposed Social Security official makes a call with the excuse of returning an amount of money, receiving aid or collecting unemployment. The cybercriminal sends a notification through Bizum to the victim, in some cases even the sender may appear as “TGSS” to give it greater credibility. The deception occurs when the request that is received is not to make a payment, but rather a request for collection. As in the previous case, if the person accepts it, the charge will be made. There have also been cases with the Treasury and the Post Office.
“Mandala of Abundance” Scam
It is a supposed solidarity movement that is shared through WhatsApp and/or Facebook that promises to earn thousands of euros by making a simple transfer of 33 euros through Bizum. In addition to sending the money through Bizum, the victim has to convince two other people to do the same so that they all benefit, thus spreading the hoax. A full blown pyramid scam.
In this case, the damage is double: in addition to losing money, we are harming other people, so if you receive this type of message, it would be better to delete them at the first opportunity.
What to do if we have been scammed
To avoid all of the above, common sense and care when using all applications or trusting the messages we receive. But if it is already too late, we must also take action. If we have already suffered from some of the most common Bizum scams, all we have to do is follow a series of steps that are recommended to you from the payment service help page.
The first thing we must do is take into account that all the information of the operations carried out in Bizum remains registered in the systems. This is good news because, as they explain from the app, there is always a trace and the data of the person who has stolen from you, so it will not be difficult to take action and solve it as soon as possible. Of course, you must report.
You must report the scam to the Police with all the information you have so that they can take action and return your money. In addition, you must notify your bank as soon as possible.
Once you have done this, all you have to do is wait. From Bizum they assure that “they will collaborate at all times in the pursuit of the alleged fraudster by providing the data we have as soon as the competent authorities officially request it.”
