Bizum users warned against new scamming strategies

Bizum users have been warned by the Spanish Office of Internet Security and the Civil Guard against new scamming strategies being used by cybercriminals.

Users who sell their products using the application Bizum on platforms such as Milanuncios, Vinted or Wallapop have become the new target of cybercriminals, as informed by the Spanish Office of Internet Security (OSI).

The scammers pretend to be potential buyers who are interested in one of the items for sale. They then send a request for money via Bizum instead of sending a payment. Vendors who do not read the message carefully before pressing ‘Accept’ will become victims of the scam and end up losing money.

The solution to the problem is simple: read the message before accepting. If you have already accepted the request for money, it is unlikely that you will get it back. However, it is still important to report the incident.

What should you do in the case of a scam on Bizum?

• Contact your bank to let them know.
• Report the incident on the platform and on the criminal’s profile.
• Report the incident to the police. To do so, you will need evidence in the form of messages, emails and so on.

Advice for buying and selling online

You can make sure that the user is trustworthy by checking their profile and reading reviews from other people on platforms such as Wallapop, Vinted or Milanuncios. If anything suggests that you should not trust the user, find someone else.

Apps for buying and selling offer the possibility of chatting through them. This means that it is not a good idea to give out your personal email address or phone number. They also have various methods of payment available and it is not necessary to make payments outside of the app.

The most important thing is to read all messages carefully before deciding whether to accept them or reject them.

#ALERTA❗Detectada #estafa a vendedores a través de Bizum, bajo el engaño de la compra de un producto. En lugar de realizar el pago enviará una solicitud de dinero al vendedor, el cual en caso de aceptar estará pagando su producto al comprador. #NoPiques https://t.co/jBq4SdN5Zp pic.twitter.com/dMbeqclUB4

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) December 2, 2021

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