Portuguese Banking Association warns of fraud using official entity numbers
Scammers use phone numbers of official entities to deceive victims. The Portuguese Banking Association classifies the scheme as "sophisticated fraud".
Banking fraud uses official contacts to deceive victims in Portugal
The Portuguese Banking Association issued a warning about a new fraud scheme circulating in Portugal, according to what Google News PT — Crime (pt) reported based on information from TSF.
The scheme is based on the falsification of phone numbers belonging to official entities — such as banks or public bodies — to convey a false sense of legitimacy to the recipients of the calls. "The number of official entities appears, but they are scammers," describe the sectoral authorities.
The Banking Association classifies the threat as a "sophisticated fraud", emphasising that the perpetrators resort to techniques that make it practically impossible to distinguish the call from a genuine institutional contact.
No data were disclosed about the number of victims or the amounts involved. The association did not specify concrete response measures, but the public warning aims to raise awareness among bank customers of the need to verify any request for data or transfers, even when the number presented appears reliable.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)