Santander Bank Warns Urgently: They Can Plunder Your Account if You Fall for the Trap

Banco Santander has issued an urgent alert to its customers about a new type of scam affecting some users. The alarm was raised by criminologist and cybersecurity expert María Aperador through a video on TikTok. In it, she explains how criminals are posing as bank employees to steal money from accounts.

This is why it is essential to be informed and take precautions to avoid falling into this trap. Following the bank's advice will also help us a lot.

They Pose as Banco Santander

It all starts when you receive an SMS in which, supposedly, a Banco Santander employee informs you that they have tried to contact you unsuccessfully. In the message, they explain that a loan was mistakenly made to your account and that now costs and interest must be assumed.

The message mentions that to solve this problem you only need to make a bank transfer. It will be as simple as returning the money that was supposedly deposited by mistake.

This type of scam can seem very convincing. The scammers use names and terms that resemble those the bank would normally use. In many cases, people try to quickly solve the supposed issue.

That's why they decide to make the transfer to 'cancel' the supposed loan as soon as possible.

The Scam Doesn't Stop There

Once the criminals get you to make the transfer, the scam doesn't end there. Through phone calls, they will start asking for more personal data and will ask you to share your bank account security codes. But the scam goes further.

They will instruct you to dial code 21, surrounded by asterisks, followed by a phone number. This will create a call redirection to a number that belongs to them.

This way, if you ever receive a call from someone claiming to be from the bank, that communication will go directly to the scammers. They will be able to impersonate you.

Thanks to this scam, the criminals will be able to confirm the transfer made from your account. This will allow them to steal the money with total ease. They will be the ones to receive the money from the transfer that was supposedly meant to cancel the loan.

Follow Banco Santander's Recommendations

Banco Santander has recommended that its customers follow a series of precautions to avoid falling for these scams. First, ignore any message requesting banking data or access codes.

Do not click on suspicious links from SMS or emails, as they may redirect you to fake pages. Do not enter security codes on your mobile without verifying the origin of the request.

It would also be advisable to activate the security alerts of the bank account to detect unauthorized movements. Don't hesitate to contact Banco Santander if you have any doubts about a notification received.