Colombia Leads Fraud Reports by Text Messages

In Colombia, along with Mexico, Chile, Peru and Panama, 71% of respondents said they experienced at least one fraud attempt in the past year, and 82% believe these incidents have increased, according to an Experian report cited by Bloomberg Línea. The report places messages and chats as the most common method, at 25%, followed by undelivered products or services, unauthorized transactions and cases tied to mobile apps.

What methods appear most often?

Messages and chats accounted for 25% of reports across the five markets analyzed by Experian, according to Bloomberg Línea. Next came undelivered products or services, at 22%, unauthorized transactions, at 20%, and cases linked to mobile applications, at 19%.

That breakdown points to a pattern in which social engineering and messaging channels remain the most visible entry point. At the same time, recent alerts from institutions and media outlets in Colombia show different forms of impersonation and fraud built around calls, links and fake apps.

What alerts have been reported in Colombia?

La FM described the "call and hang up" scam and recommended not following instructions from supposed bank employees, not installing apps and not sharing codes or banking data over calls or messages. It also urged people to cut off contact and verify directly with the institution through official channels when they receive an unknown call.

Infobae Colombia reported that the Registraduría warned about fake calls in which third parties impersonate the agency to offer supposed Prosperidad Social subsidies and ask victims to open links or start video calls. According to that alert, criminals use suspicious links and video calls to validate personal data on a supposed platform and steal banking and personal information.

The same publication said the Registraduría clarified that it does not handle subsidy delivery at its offices and that no subsidy process is carried out by calls, links or video calls managed by the agency. That clarification aims to close one of the most repeated fraud channels in recent complaints.

What measures and complaints have been shared?

Asuntos Legales said that when identity theft happens through the internet, social networks, digital accounts or computer systems, it can also be reported to the National Police through CAI Virtual. That option adds to the usual reporting channels for cases with a digital component.

In the financial sector, JFK Cooperativa Financiera issued its own notice saying it had detected fake calls and messages impersonating the cooperative, banks and programs such as Prosperidad Social, Devolución del IVA and Renta Ciudadana. The Banco de la República, meanwhile, reminded users that Llaves can only be registered on each financial institution’s website or mobile app, in a context it linked to growing reports of fraud attempts.

INDUMIL also warned about a fraudulent TikTok account impersonating the institution and asked people not to provide personal information or make payments through unofficial channels. The warning adds to a series of alerts from public and private entities that, in recent days, detailed impersonation attempts and data collection through digital channels.