Money stolen from a Cuban woman's bank account: "Her balance was left at zero."

The Banco de Crédito y Comercio de Cuba (BANDEC) recently shared an alert on their Telegram profile about the increase in cyber theft in bank accounts.

The most recent case involves a Cuban woman from Matanzas, who discovered that the balance of her account had been reduced to zero.

"They stole the money from my bank account! I don't know how it happened, all I know is that my balance was zero," said the victim.

This fact highlights the growing concern about cyber theft on the island, where criminals use various strategies to deceive people and obtain their personal information. They act with caution and precision, executing their plans at the right moment.

They use tricks to obtain data by taking advantage of the naivety and lack of financial knowledge of many Cuban users. In the current context of economic fluctuations and high inflation, these crimes become even more devastating for those affected.

BANDEC, since March 2022, is promoting the campaign "Take care of your money". They ensure that it is aimed at enhancing the financial education of the population regarding the safe use of electronic banking.

However, it is important to highlight that the Cuban government promoted a process of banking adoption for which the population was not prepared. There is very little knowledge of cybersecurity, of how to operate with magnetic cards, and extremely limited access to technologies in the country to learn and seek advice.

The campaign recommendations include not leaving the wallet in accessible places, using magnetic cards in a personal and non-transferable way, and changing passwords periodically. There are many Cubans who do not have the knowledge or technological skills to meet these requirements.

BANDEC advises not to share the account statement or recent transactions, to operate only through official applications or websites, and to go to the bank branch in case of loss or misplacement of cards for their cancellation.

To protect themselves against cyber theft, Cuban banking entities recommend users:

• Do not share your PINs and access codes.
• Do not send photos of your identity card or personal and banking information.
• Avoid accessing unknown payment links.
• Distrust screenshots of transactions or confirmations, as they may be false.
• Do not run codes that delete the record of payment applications.

If you are a victim of a scam, you should take screenshots of all evidence, cancel the affected cards, and report the case to the National Revolutionary Police (PNR).

Additional tips to protect your bank accounts:

• Use secure and unique passwords for each website.
• Avoid using the "Remember password" option.
• Do not share personal information on social networks or participate in tests that request sensitive data.

This incident underscores the importance of being well-informed and following secure practices to protect financial resources in an increasingly digitalized world, for which many Cubans, as evident, are not yet prepared.