The alert was made public through social media on the profiles of state institutions, including several Cuban financial institutions.
The electronic payment application Transfermóvil, used in Cuba via cell phones, has issued an alert about an increase in scams involving the simulation of a recharge or balance transfer by mistake, followed by a request for a refund.
The notice was initially spread through the app’s Telegram channel and has been widely shared on profiles of state institutions, including the country’s banking entities.
This is how they scam you
“Everyone, be careful, lately some people are sending SMS simulating the one that comes from Cubacel, by default, when they receive a top-up or transfer of mobile balance, and then they call people to persuade them by saying that it was a mistake and that they need their money back. This is completely false,” warned the Transfermóvil statement.
In these scams, criminals trick victims into believing they have received money in error and ask them to return it.
Users who have reported these incidents have said that authorities do not take action when they are informed about these cases, according to the TecnologíaCuba website.
Within the group associated with the Telegram channel, one user suggested that “they should do something about these scammers, their data is held by the company and can be sent to the police.”
The state press warns
A report in the official newspaper 26, of Las Tunas, included testimonies from people who have been the target of this type of scam, which is increasingly common in the country.
“Have you ever received an SMS about a supposed top-up or transfer and then someone calls you explaining that they made a mistake when transferring the balance and that you should return the money?” the newspaper asked its readers.
One man revealed that his mother was almost scammed with a message claiming that 500 pesos had been transferred by mistake. Another reader said that they tried to trick his daughter by claiming a hospital emergency and asking for 100 pesos back.
“First I checked my balance and obviously nothing had been transferred and then I saw that it was not ETECSA who had sent the message. And I realized that it was just another scam,” he explained.
The Cuban Telecommunications Company SA (ETECSA) has reiterated that, if a message is received about an erroneous transaction, the last 10 operations carried out via Transfermóvil or Enzona should be reviewed to verify the receipt of the money.
Transfermóvil emphasizes that service messages are not identified with private numbers and cannot be answered; they always come from “Payment by Mobile”. In addition, it is essential that users check their balance before making any transfer.
For added security, experts recommend blocking the number of the person sending these types of messages.
ETECSA also advises against opening suspicious attachments, avoiding filling out forms and not sharing dubious links or responding to emails from strangers.
Previous alerts for scams
Recently, ETECSA has alerted customers about the increase in scam attempts through false money transfers via Transfermóvil. In January, a Cuban shared a video on Facebook showing a scam attempt in real time during a MLC purchase and sale via Transfermóvil.
The Las Tunas newspaper warned that the population should be alert to these and other types of scams, mainly fake gift offers or misleading advertising from fake pages or profiles.
Recently, a fake giveaway was promoted for International Women’s Day that asked to provide an email address to receive the prize, allowing scammers to obtain more personal data to steal money digitally.
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