We all agree that Bizum has been one of the best inventions in recent years. Not only has it managed to prevent a friend from leaving without paying the bill, but it has also made our forms of payment in online and physical stores much faster and more convenient. However, in every great idea there is always a crack that the “bad guys” use to their advantage. Yes, we are talking about the possible scams that can reach us through Bizum. So that you don’t get caught, we tell you the 4 most common scams in Bizum.
Most common scams in Bizum
Bizum is one of the best options to make payments between individuals very easily and quickly, however, this popularity has made cybercriminals focus on it with the aim of trying to scam people using social engineering. Next, we are going to explain which are the four most common scams in Bizum that you should avoid so that they do not steal your money.
social security payments
One of the most frequent scams is carried out through messages and emails posing as state entities. In this case, the cybercriminals send a message as a “TGSS” associated with social security indicating that you have pending receipt of a subscription.
Through this message they send you a request, which is not the same as a shipment, in which you have to accept the shipment through Bizum of the supposed amount that you are going to receive. Once the request is accepted, the money immediately disappears from your account and goes to another bank account associated with the cybercriminal.
second hand shopping
Similar to the Social Security scam, cybercriminals pose as a buyer interested in your product. He tells you that he wants to make the payment through Bizum, asking for your phone number. This is where the scam begins. Again, instead of depositing the money, he sends you a Bizum request with the amount that he is supposed to deposit.
Once the request is accepted, what you are doing is confirming that you agree to send the money to the account associated with the transaction. And checkmate, in a few seconds the thief has taken your money.
Payment by WhatsApp
As in most cases, the bad guys take advantage of the good will of the people. In this case, the scam is camouflaged under the name of a contact you have in your WhatsApp agenda. What does it consist of? He pretends to be your contact, indicating that he has sent you money by mistake through Bizum.
We are again facing the same case, a request to send money undercover. Once you accept said request, your money is sent directly. In this case, it is easy to avoid it. Before accepting anything from anyone, check that they really are your friend and that you have received that money in your bank account.
Payment in advance
Perhaps the scam that we can avoid more easily, since it is a classic. The scammer offers products at a very good price through a website and asks you for the money in advance without ever receiving the product. The easiest way to avoid falling for a scam of this type is to check the veracity of the website.
If, despite these warnings, you have fallen for a scam of this type, Bizum reminds us that they make all the data related to the transaction available to their customers. On their website they indicate that you go immediately to file a complaint at the police station, since it is a crime defined in the penal code.
