Bank fraud happening from inside prisons are seemingly impossible. Blocking the cell signal in prisons was approved last year with law number 9597 but will likely not happen until next year. Solutions are being sought for how to block cellular phone service in prisons without affecting the surrounding communities.
The Judicial Police received 3,000 denunciations of this problem last year. Most of the scams happen from La Reforma. The fraudsters use prepaid cell phones to call bank clients. They have lots of personal information about the clients, that they get from various databases and internet sites, and accounts and they use names of people who actually work in the bank so the calls seem legitimate. They even call through an application that makes it look like the call is coming from the bank’s phone number.
The OIJ has some detainees who lent their bank accounts to deposit the money stolen in the fraud in exchange for a payment. 12 arrests have been made and the investigation continues.
Should you get a call from any bank, it is advised that you go to the bank in person to clear up the matter. You should not give out or confirm any information by phone.
