Keep an eye out for campaigns to prevent financial fraud!
09/04/2026
We’ve all been tempted at some point, and we almost certainly know someone who has been caught out. “Financial scams” come to mind whenever we use a card or order a transfer to make a payment or book a service, but this risk shouldn’t stop us enjoying the benefits of digital channels. That’s why public institutions and banks launch numerous campaigns to raise awareness among customers.
These initiatives aim to provide fraud prevention information so that customers don’t fall victim to scams and authorise a fraudulent transaction, or give away the personal security credentials that criminals need to impersonate them.
These criminals use strategies designed to exploit the weaknesses of customers, who are perhaps the most vulnerable link in the chain. Through these campaigns, banks try to keep their customers alert and provide a steady feed of accessible, up-to-date information on sophisticated fraud techniques, to encourage prudent habits and help them spot deception attempts before any harm is done.
In general, these campaigns focus on simple, easy-to-digest messages and promote practices that help keep us out of danger. Some classic and very useful messages are:
- Your bank will never ask for passwords or codes by phone, SMS or email;
- Be wary of messages that create a sense of urgency or alarm, even if they appear to come from your trusted contact at the bank or from your child on an Erasmus placement in Germany. If in doubt, hang up and call them yourself;
- Check the source of unexpected links and verify who sent them. To help you with this, the INCIBE (Spain’s National Cybersecurity Institute) releases numerous alerts and other information for the public;
- Use only official channels to communicate with your bank.
Banks use all available channels to reach the widest audience possible, so we might see campaign messages in apps or emails, on social media, through notices in branches and at cash machines, and so on. Some banks, and the INCIBE itself, also offer self-assessment tests to help us gauge our level of cybersecurity skills.
For these reasons, we need to be aware of fraud prevention campaigns and their key role in protecting bank customers and maintaining trust in the financial system. Although they don’t eliminate the risk entirely, they can help significantly reduce its impact by empowering customers and making them aware of safe behaviour.
In any case, remember that combatting fraud depends on you and your maintaining a close control of your finances and carefully considering how much money you keep in the immediately drawable banking products linked to your day-to-day card payments and transfers. All these small steps will help protect you from cybercriminals.
