The Most Common Bizum Scams and How to Avoid Them

Be very careful with scams by Bizum

bizum it is a very safe service. Regardless of your bank, protocols are applied to all transactions so that sending money between users is not only easy, but also reliable. Unfortunately, when a service becomes popular, some find opportunities to commit crime.

In the following sections we analyze the most common Bizum scams. Knowing in depth what are the tactics of certain criminals who take advantage of this money transfer platform will allow you to stay alert and prevent them from ending up robbing you directly from your bank account.

Fake Vacation Rentals

The Bizum scam related to fake vacation rentals is one of the ones that has caught our attention the most. Scammers take advantage of Bizum (and people’s good faith) to defraud people looking to rent properties for their vacations. To achieve this, they post fake ads, offering attractive prices and dream properties. When someone shows interest in the ad, the scammers request an advance payment through Bizum to secure the reservation.

When they get paid, disappear without a trace and break all contact with the victim. It is important to mention that the advertised homes do not exist or are simply not owned by scammers. Also, in case they send a contract, they have no validity. Worst of all, some victims discover that they have been scammed when they arrive at the destination and realize that there is no property reserved for them.

Regarding this scam, the National Police have made arrestsalthough it can never be ruled out that the scam is replicated by other criminals.

payment in advance

Another well known scam is the scam of payment in advance through Bizum. As you well know, one of the characteristics of the platform is that, once the money is sent, the transfer cannot be cancelled. There is also no return system. Taking this into account, scammers request advance payments using deceptive promisessuch as the sale of products or the promise of subsequent return.

The result is what you imagine. Once the scammers receive the advance payment, they just disappear without fulfilling their part of the bargain. Consequently, the victim is left with no option to do anything to get the money back from her.

False official charge from a public body

Let’s see another very common scam that takes advantage of Bizum. We refer to the false message of collection by public bodies. In this case, the scammers pretend to be official institutions or companies, such as Social Security or the Tax Agency. By sending credible text messages, they make the victim believe that she has a pending payment. In the message, they are asked to make the payment through Bizum using the telephone number provided.

For now, no official institution has requested payments through Bizum. Rather, the collections are executed through the respective Electronic Headquarters, with a digital certificate, or through direct debit. For this reason, if you receive an alleged request from a local, regional or state administration requesting a payment for Bizum, ignoring it is crucial.

The payment by mistake that WhatsApp reaches you

Let’s now move on to payment by mistake through WhatsApp. This is a very common scam in which cybercriminals use Bizum to steal, generally small sums of money. How does it work?

The potential victim receives a fake message via WhatsApp informing him that an erroneous money transfer has been made to your account. Immediately afterwards, the criminal asks the receiver to return the money by means of a new shipment. However, this is all a hoax. Once the victim proceeds, the scammers simply take the money and disappear.

Again, it is important to be clear that there is no way to recover the funds sent, since Bizum does not offer a transaction return or cancellation system. In fact, this is precisely one of the excuses that scammers use to make the victim believe that they owe them money.

Also note that sending money by mistake in Bizum is something that can happen. However, to find out if someone has really entered your number by mistake and is legitimately asking you for a refund, first verify that you have received the amount in your account.

Reverse bizum, the sale that ends in a purchase

The last scam we talked about is known as reverse bizum. On this occasion, the scammer poses as someone interested in purchasing a product on a second-hand portal, such as Wallapop. But, with some excuse, he indicates that he prefers to make the payment through Bizum. In this way, he requests the seller’s phone number to, supposedly, make the agreed payment. So far so good.

The problem is that, instead of making a payment, the scammer sends a request for money for the same agreed amount. Although the money is not stolen immediately, there are chances that an inexperienced user press the OK button. If you do, you’ll be sending money to the scammer, instead of receiving it.

Have you suffered a scam by Bizum? This is what you should do

Have you suffered any of the scams mentioned here? In that case, you do well to take a look at the steps you need to take.

Taking these indications into account, you will significantly increase the chances of getting your money backespecially if the sum is important:

1. Don’t lose your cool. It is true that being scammed is an unpleasant situation, but it is important to act cool to try to find the best solution.
2. Collect all the information. We recommend that you take screenshots of the transaction and the messages received. Also, it is good to collect as many contact details of the suspected scammer as possible, as well as the amount of money involved and any other information that may be useful to the investigation.
3. Complaint. Go to the nearest police station to file a complaint. Provide all the details and evidence for the police to act.
4. Contact Bizum. On their website you will find a Contact Form. Send all the details of what happened so that the support team is aware of the situation.
5. Collaborate with the authorities. The police may contact you with further instructions. If so, follow them so you can get your money back or help find the scammer.

The modus operandi of criminals who take advantage of this platform to rob others is changing. That’s why, Bizum scams that we have shown you here could evolve or be replaced by other more effective ones. Therefore, it is essential to stay vigilant to avoid falling into the scammers’ trap.

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