How to avoid scams on Bizum
19/12/2021
Since it was launched in 2016, the Bizum payment platform has grown and now has 16 million users. The platform is secure. However, unfortunately, cybercriminals can still use Bizum to commit crimes.
- One of the tricks they use is the fake buyer. Someone interested in buying a second hand item you put up for sale asks for your phone number to make a deposit using Bizum. But instead of sending you the money, they use the “request money” function. Although the message clearly states that it is a request for money, scammers know that we are likely to overlook this when we are in a hurry, and may fall for the scam.
- In the case of the fake seller, the scammer sells highly sought-after items below their market price and asks you to make an advance payment for the full price, or part of it, to send yo the product. You pay them using Bizum, but the product never arrives and the seller makes off with the money.
- They may also use the fake social benefits scam. You are contacted, via SMS or phone call (“vishing”), by someone posing as an employee from a government agency about a benefit you are supposed to receive, under the pretext that the money will be sent via Bizum. Once again, what you receive is a request for money rather than a transfer. Official bodies do not use this method for these procedures and will never ask you for your personal data.
What should you do in these cases? Remember to file a police report and inform your bank. The information on transactions is recorded in the system and, in the event of a scam, the personal data of the person receiving the payment allow the person to be tracked down.
Remember that the phone number is the unique identifier for making payments by Bizum. Payments are instant and irrevocable. Before confirming the payment, you should check that the telephone number is correct. Knowing how this system works and its possibilities allows us to use our common sense to detect and avoid this type of fraud.
