FACUA-Consumers in Action warns of the proliferation of scams exploiting the widespread power outage that affected mainland Spain on April 28 to obtain bank details from potential victims and withdraw money from their accounts.
The association is aware of phone calls in which the scammer claims to be contacting the user on behalf of their electricity company, offering them false compensation of 20% of the bill for the inconvenience caused by the hours during which households were without electricity.
Under the pretext of offering compensation on the bill, scammers ask users to provide their bank account number. The purpose is actually to debit the account. FACUA warns consumers who have fallen victim to this scam to check their accounts regularly and cancel any illegal charges they may be subject to. Since these are direct debits and not a card, cancellation can be done immediately through the bank’s app. If they don’t use it, those affected can contact their usual bank branch to request it.
If you fall victim to one of these scams and have provided your debit or credit card details, you must file a complaint with the bank as soon as possible to cancel the charges, preferably in writing so that they have a record of it. FACUA has handled numerous complaints from users to whom banks refuse to refund their defrauded money, although in the vast majority of cases, they do so without them having to file a legal claim.
Do not provide personal information
FACUA warns that marketers are not calling their customers to offer them any kind of discount or compensation on their bills for the hours they were without power due to the widespread power outage in Spain. Therefore, it is recommended to be vigilant and not to provide personal or banking information in the event of phone calls, text messages, or emails of this kind.
