Argentina court orders bank to repay fraud loss

La Plata’s judiciary ordered a bank to pay 11,199,999.94 pesos after a digital scam ended with six unauthorized transfers from a client’s account. The case emerged alongside new reports of bank fraud and data theft in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, all following a similar pattern of messaging scams, identity theft and credential circulation.

What did La Plata’s judiciary decide?

La Plata’s judiciary ordered the bank to return 11,199,999.94 pesos to a client after a scam that began when she entered a fake version of the bank’s website, according to Infobae. From that access, six unauthorized transfers were carried out from her account.

The ruling adds to a growing list of recent cases showing how digital fraud continues to hit bank customers across the region. In this case, the court focused on the direct financial harm to the user and on the fraudulent operation that started from a spoofed site.

What figures did BancoEstado report?

BancoEstado estimated that its fraud losses would exceed US$20 million in 2026, and that the total over the past five years would reach US$400 million, according to El Dínamo. The projection highlights the persistence of the problem in Chile’s financial system.

The bank placed those figures at the center of its annual fraud balance, in a context where social engineering schemes and scams against banking customers continue to generate high costs. The five-year total shows that the impact is not limited to the current year.

Where are digital frauds concentrated in Colombia?

In Colombia, an analysis cited by Diario del Sur attributed to Asobancaria president Jonathan Malagón the statement that 85.1% of fraud tied to data theft, mobile app credentials and card information is concentrated in digital channels. The same coverage said the Financial Superintendency recommended verifying information directly with the institution and avoiding suspicious links or file downloads.

That warning underscores how remote channels have become a major attack surface. The official guidance aims to break the deception chain at the first contact, before a user hands over data or takes a risky action.

Which apps and networks are under the most pressure?

Kaspersky was cited by El Economista as saying WhatsApp accounted for 43% of messaging scams, followed by SMS and iMessage at 40%, Facebook at 27%, Telegram at 22% and Instagram at 19%. The distribution shows that fraud is spreading across multiple platforms at once.

The heavier share on WhatsApp and text messages suggests attackers continue to exploit everyday channels to send links, impersonate contacts or pressure users into sharing credentials. Telegram also ranked among the most exposed channels in that survey.

What is being investigated in Mexico and Brazil?

In Mexico, one report said the Anti-Corruption Ministry is investigating the sale of 12.9 million personal records on Telegram, with banking data, RFC tax IDs and addresses belonging to Amazon, BBVA, Banamex and Santander customers. Other publications cited in the material said the agency had detected an offer of databases allegedly coming from call centers, although authenticity and company responsibility had not been confirmed.

In that same context, Xataka México and Radio Fórmula said authorities were reviewing the information and that the origin of the data had still not been confirmed, nor whether the named companies were responsible for the exposure. El Debate added that the alleged leak involved databases linked to Amazon, BBVA, Banorte, Santander, Sam’s Club, Liverpool and Sanborns.

In Brazil, Campo Grande News reported that a cyber operation allegedly diverted R$ 424,700 from a telecom company after credentials were handed to a contact posing as legitimate. The case fits the same regional pattern, access through deception, credential delivery and money diversion.