The Public Security Police is warning about fake debt collection schemes, in which criminals pose as legitimate companies such as energy suppliers, telecommunications operators, public services, or tax authorities. The fraud attempts arrive via SMS, email, or phone calls and present a supposed overdue invoice that requires immediate payment, creating a sense of urgency to prevent victims from having time to verify the information.
The scammers use threats of service disconnection, penalties, or legal measures to pressure victims into acting without thinking. The messages can be quite convincing, with language identical to that of real companies, plausible amounts, and even references to services that the victim actually uses. One of the main strategies is to establish very short payment deadlines, seeking to prevent the person from contacting the entity allegedly responsible for the collection.
The PSP recommends not clicking on links or using the contacts presented in the suspicious message, as they may lead to fake pages created to collect personal and banking data. Before any payment, the charge should be confirmed directly through the company's official channels, looking for contacts on the official website or on existing documents. Bank transfers, Multibanco reference payments, or accepting requests via MB WAY should not be made without this prior confirmation.
If you have already made a payment resulting from a fraudulent message, the PSP advises immediately contacting the banking institution, changing passwords that may have been compromised, and keeping all evidence of the situation. Victims should also report the case to the authorities, namely at a PSP police station.
