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  • Fake holiday rental ads Jump to this section
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Find out about the cyber scams that happen most frequently during this period and learn how to prevent them from spoiling your holiday.

Holiday home rentals

As the holiday season approaches, cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday rental season to steal victims' personal and banking data online.

How does this type of scam work?

Avoid becoming a victim by following these steps

Make sure that the property exists

Look up the address of the house on the internet and check that it exists and is located where indicated.

Review the
information

Before making a payment, make sure you check that the advertisement is reliable and do not get carried away by attractive offers.

Check history
and comments

Check the reviews of other users and check their booking history to make sure they are reliable.

Keep an eye on the payment method

If it is a well-known platform, always pay through that and avoid alternative methods. Be wary of haste and urgency in payment.

What to do if you have been a victim of this fraud

Notify your bank immediately

Contact your bank so that they can take action and implement the necessary measures to protect you.

File a police
report

File a report with the authorities to protect yourself from identity theft.

Save the information from the advertisement

Save the advertisement and any conversation with the advertiser for presentation in case of investigation.

Fraud using QR codes

Be very careful when scanning a QR code, it may be fake and redirect you to a fraudulent website.

  • The criminal creates a fake QR code to replace a legitimate one, e.g. restaurant menus, forms, app downloads or any other type.
  • The fake website asks for the victim's personal and bank details.
  • With the victim's information, the offender can try to impersonate the victim.
  • Never give out your personal and bank details if you are asked for them.

Data theft over a public Wi-Fi network

Although connecting to a public Wi-Fi network (with or without a password) is very convenient, you should bear in mind that they are unsafe. Your data is at risk. Therefore, you should take certain precautions.

  • There are techniques used by criminals to clone the network and steal your data.
  • To be safe when surfing on public Wi-Fi, never enter sensitive data.
  • Do not shop online or access your digital banking.
  • If you have an emergency, use your mobile data or activate a VPN.

Data theft via public mobile charging cables

While they are convenient, care should be taken when using a public mobile phone charger.

  • You can find them in airports and other public places.
  • Avoid using them as some cables could be a source of infection or data theft from the device.
  • If you need to use them, try to do so by activating the "charge only" mode or turn it off while it is plugged in.

Transactions with Bizum

Although it is a safe and fast payment method, Bizum does not allow you to undo a transfer, so make sure everything is correct before making a transfer.

  • Be sure to check the details before making the transaction.
  • Avoid making payments for money transfer requests from Bizum to strangers.
  • If you do, check the details and make sure that the recipient's phone number and the amount are correct.

If you detect suspicious transactions on your account or have provided your details in what you believe to be a fraud campaign, contact your branch manager or call customer services immediately.

24-hour customer service telephone 93 887 25 25/900 40 40 90

Customer service telephone number from abroad +34 938 87 25 25

Contact my adviser

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