Nowadays, bank scams are very common in our society, but it is possible to detect them in order not to fall into them. In Venezuela new mechanisms appear every day that incite the theft of banking information, money theft and in some cases extortion. But they are foreseeable if we know in advance how to act in case a communication or activity seems suspicious to us. In Alan Aldana & Abogados we promote prevention among our clients, so today we will give you some tips to avoid bank scams.

1- Think things through before acting

People who engage in this type of crime do so on the premise that emotions and urges will play against the person being scammed. So, if you are receiving strange calls or other suspicious communications, take a minute to think before you act. Make sure you know the person or that the situation you are being approached about is true, this can be done by communicating with other people you have in common.

2- Report to your bank any movement that seems unusual to you.

It is common for duplicate transactions to occur in point-of-sale purchases due to connection failures. When messages such as "Transaction failed" or "Connection error" appear in our purchasing processes, it is important to keep copies of those messages to report duplicate transactions.

To solve these problems you should check as soon as possible if the amount was debited from your bank account, if so you should report it along with your copies of the messages. Some banks will ask you to send the copies by e-mail and others will not.

3- Beware of suspicious communications

If a request to confirm your banking information arrives to your email or if a supposed bank operator calls you requesting the same, this is a scam. No bank is going to contact you to request data, remember that their systems centralize the information that was received at the time of opening the account and will only be updated if you go voluntarily to do so.

4- Avoid phishing, smishing and spoofing

What is phishing?

This is an email communication that looks like an official communication from the bank. These emails contain certain information that invites you to enter a link, sometimes these links take us to forms where our personal data and passwords can be stolen. Or they are even links that download malware or other types of programs designed to steal information without you realizing it.

What is smishing?

This is a type of scam that uses text messages or Whatsapp to impersonate people close to the victim. First make sure with other people that the communication is real, and if you do not get answers the main recommendation is to delete the message.

What is spoofing?

This term refers to the use of phishing techniques related to malware that spoof IP addresses. They are commonly shared via email and can infect both computers and mobile devices. The only way to prevent this scam mechanism is to constantly update antivirus and antimalware software on your devices and not to install suspicious programs on them.

5- Avoid cashing unsolicited checks

If you get your hands on an unexpected check, do not deposit it until you verify where it came from. Usually this type of scam is accompanied by a request for a bank transfer to a certain account number. Or we could be part of a scam to the same bank, so we must be sure not to fall into these practices.

If you would like more information or need advice on this and other issues of criminal and commercial law, do not hesitate to contact us at contact us at. We also share with you our social networks so that you can keep updated on the legal topics that are in trend: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter y Linkedin.