The official explanation that ETECSA has lost more than 60% of its foreign currency income due to "fraud" in international recharges has not convinced many Cubans.
The statements made by the executive president of the company, Tania Velázquez Rodríguez, sparked a wave of mockery and indignation on social media, where users questioned the accuracy of the official account and denounced what they see as a manipulation strategy to justify an unpopular rate hike.
The economist Pedro Monreal described the situation as "a case of monumental incompetence" on the part of both the state-owned company and the Cuban government itself, admitting that the alleged fraud persisted for over three years without any effective measures being taken to stop it.
"It is said that over a period of 3 or 4 years, a fraud has coexisted that has caused 'a very, very drastic erosion' of 60% of the foreign currency revenues of ETECSA, amounting to millions of USD. At the very least, this would be a case of monumental incompetence on the part of the company and the Cuban state," he wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter).
The criticisms regarding the lack of logic in the official account were reiterated. “There is no such fraud. Any balance credited from an international top-up goes directly into ETECSA's accounts, regardless of where it is done,” pointed out a user.
Another accused the company of bleeding itself dry to divert funds: “Cellular phone service and internet in Cuba are the most expensive in the world, and at the same time, the worst.”
"It's almost better if they don't explain anything. Incompetence, mediocrity, and corruption are what stand out," wrote one third person. Another was more blunt: "No one believes that. Are they going to say they have been giving away top-ups for years and only just realized it? The lies were fabricated too quickly."
Velázquez Rodríguez appeared on Saturday, May 31, in a special television segment after a day marked by widespread rejection and criticism of ETECSA's new commercial measures, which limit national top-ups to just 360 Cuban pesos per month, forcing users to turn to packages in US dollars to maintain connectivity.
According to the executive, in recent years, a scheme has been operating from abroad that evades official channels, allowing top-ups to be credited in Cuba without ETECSA effectively receiving the funds. This, she assured, has led to a "drastic erosion" of its foreign currency income, aggravating its financial situation.
But for many, the acknowledgment of the alleged fraud only worsens the image of inefficiency and opacity that surrounds the state-owned company. “They admit that they have known about this for over three years and haven't acted. The responsible parties remain in their positions,” criticized an outraged internet user.
Many like him pointed out that if the balances were indeed credited to the users, it was because someone was paying for them, and that in any case, ETECSA would have received the money through authorized or alternative distributors. The idea that "millions of dollars evaporated" without anyone being held accountable sounded, for many, simply implausible.
Other comments pointed to a darker theory: that the money was not lost, but was intentionally diverted, and now the pretext of "external fraud" is being used to justify the imposition of a model that favors collection in foreign currency at the expense of excluding those who only have Cuban pesos.
The new tariff scheme from ETECSA has been described as abusive and discriminatory, as it establishes that only 360 CUP can be recharged per month through Transfermóvil, forcing many to resort to international top-ups, which are paid in dollars and priced far beyond the reach of most citizens.
For example, while 3 GB in CUP costs 3,360 pesos (nearly 10 dollars at the informal exchange rate and more than the minimum wage of 2,100 CUP), a 4 GB package in dollars costs 10 USD, which clearly shows a tendency to attract foreign currency.
Cubans do not trust ETECSA, nor UNE, nor Miguel Díaz-Canel
In recent months, a deep distrust towards institutional explanations has become evident, which is also reflected in the rejection of the daily reports from the Electric Union (UNE), which attempt to justify the continuous blackouts with unconvincing technical arguments.
The government's promises of an imminent "recovery" of the electrical system, which never arrives, have ultimately fueled widespread skepticism.
Many Cubans no longer just distrust the figures released by state institutions, but also interpret these narratives as smoke screens to cover up poor management, misallocation of resources, or simply the failure of a centralized and ineffective model.
The narrative of "international fraud" in ETECSA appears, to large segments of the population, as yet another episode in the chain of state justifications that places the blame on others, while living conditions for the majority continue to worsen.
Instead of acknowledging structural errors or taking inclusive and effective measures, the authorities choose to impose restrictions that intensify the social exclusion of the most vulnerable sectors of the population: Cubans who do not receive remittances and depend solely on the national peso.
In the midst of a prolonged economic crisis, with uncontrolled inflation, daily blackouts and limited connectivity, social discontent is increasingly expressed in digital spaces.
What used to be whispered is now openly published on social media: the population not only demands decent basic services but also respect for their intelligence. And increasingly, they tolerate less and less explanations that don't hold up to the slightest scrutiny.
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