Unauthorized charges in the current account related to payments with a credit card or via the internet have become in just one year the main reason for consumer complaints to the Bank of Spain. Claims for this reason have doubled in just one year and have suddenly replaced the traditional complaints related to mortgages and bank commissions, according to the data provided yesterday by the institution.
Behind these frauds are a growing number of techniques to deceive the consumer, although they all end up deriving from the same displeasure. The technicians of the Bank of Spain calculate that 86% of unauthorized payments are made by card and offer a long repertoire of possible deceptions: man in the middle –intercepting a communication between client and company–, phishing –impersonations through calls or e-mails to obtain confidential information – CEO scam – pretending to be a company executive – or using a website that doesn't actually exist.
According to the general director of financial conduct and banknotes of the Bank of Spain, Alberto Ríos, the increase in cases is a response to the fact that operations are increasingly digital. There has been "a very substantial increase in payment by card, with a growth volume of 800 million operations in one year, up to 7.3 billion", he says. Of course, "fraud moves to the business segments where it can be more likely to succeed."
This summer some cyber security firms such as Secure
The 2022 Bank of Spain Complaints Report presented yesterday shows that, of the 34,146 complaints last year, almost one in three, or 10,361, was related to these unauthorized card or online payments. The customers who make this complaint have previously unsuccessfully asked the bank to return the money and then decide to go to the Bank of Spain. In 47% of the cases, the ordeal continues, because they are informed that, since they have given their data to third parties even without intention, the Bank of Spain has no authority to deal with them and they must report it in the courts
The banking consumer defense association Asufin describes the increase in fraud allegations in digital payments as "alarming" and considers that "banks have improved their security" instead of blaming the customer. "According to the Law on Payment Services, the entity cannot refuse to return the money without having proven the negligence or bad faith of the consumer, which is a bad practice that the supervisor must report," he says.
According to this association, banks refuse to recognize or inform the Bank of Spain of the data thefts they suffer, which are precisely the material cybercriminals use for their scams.
"It is not true that we have a problem with payments", affirms the head of financial conduct and notes of the Bank of Spain. "The security of digital payments has been greatly strengthened, always looking for a balance between security measures and speed of the process", he adds. The number of cards issued in Spain is close to 102 million.
The fact is that last year card payments displaced the costs of formalizing mortgages as the main reason for complaints. Mortgages are now the fourth reason for complaint, surpassed by commissions, which have gone from 2,299 complaints to 3,732, and revolving credit contracts.
