DACO warns of text message fraud scheme to cancel ATM cards
The Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO, in Spanish) has identified a new consumer fraud scheme consisting of text messages requesting people to contact a phone number to cancel their ATM card due to alleged suspicious activity.
Agency Secretary Hiram Torres said the “well-formatted text messages indicate that the ATM card has been blocked due to ‘suspicious’ activity and that to be able to use it again [the person] has to call a telephone number, in which they then ask for personal information such as name, social security and date of birth.”
DACO has moved to notify of the new fraudulent method to the pertinent authorities and to the Puerto Rico Bankers Association.
The message is formatted as follows: “(BLOQUEO) BANCO XXXXX: Tu tarjeta del Banco XXX 021502, ha sido bloqueada por actividad sospechosa. Desbloquearla llamando al 787-yyy-yyyy’.”
Torres urged consumers who receive this text message to abstain from answering it and reporting it to the Puerto Rico Police Department and their bank.
