The Bank of Spain estimates that financial institutions lost 500 million euros due to fraud in just one year. More than 460,000 cybercrimes were recorded in 2024, according to the Interior Ministry.
Bank fraud is no longer a minor risk in Spain: it has become a criminal industry that generates staggering figures. The Bank of Spain has confirmed that financial entities lost 500 million euros in a single year due to fraudulent operations, a sum that places the issue at the heart of the debate on digital security.
Behind that figure are millions of false messages, calls impersonating your bank, and victims who, in most cases, do not even report what has happened. Bank fraud has become so sophisticated that it no longer solely relies on the victim's mistakes, but on an organised criminal machinery that perfects its techniques every month.
460,000 cybercrimes in 2024: bank fraud leads the scams
The data from the Ministry of the Interior is equally compelling: in 2024, more than 460,000 cybercrimes were recorded in Spain, most of which were related to online scams. Bank fraud coexists with other forms of digital theft, but it is the most concerning because it directly impacts families' savings.
What is striking is that it is no longer necessary to be careless to fall victim. Messages that imitate a financial institution are, in 2026, practically indistinguishable from the originals. Artificial intelligence has eliminated the typographical errors that previously revealed the scammer, and this multiplies the real reach of each campaign.
Kaspersky details the impact: average loss of 577 euros per victim
A report from cybersecurity company Kaspersky puts concrete figures on the trend. According to this analysis, the average loss per victim in Spain stands at 577 euros, and nearly 7.5% of those affected exceed 1,150 euros. However, the figure that most concerns experts is not economic: 68.8% of victims never report, allowing bank fraud networks to continue operating with hardly any obstacles.
The impersonation of well-known brands — banks, operators, large online stores — already accounts for 32% of the fraud detected in Spain, according to Kaspersky. The mechanism is simple: an SMS or email that appears legitimate, a link to a cloned website, and an urgent request for data. Bank fraud relies on urgency, not naivety.
Vishing and deepfakes: the new weapons of bank fraud
Vishing, the scam via phone call, has grown by 442% in just one year. A human voice generates a trust that no text message can match, and criminals know this. The use of audio deepfakes to clone the voices of relatives and urgently request money has also spread.
Recognising an attempt in time is the best defence. The patterns repeat so frequently that, once known, they become much easier to detect. Urgency and fear are the favourite tools of any scammer, so it is advisable to be suspicious whenever a message pressures you to act immediately.
Before clicking on any banking link, it is wise to review these warning signs: messages that demand action "immediately" or threaten to block the account; web domains almost identical to the official ones but with some letters changed; calls asking for OTP codes or full passwords over the phone; requests for "verification" after a supposed sending or purchase that you do not remember.
What to do if you are a victim: the protocol to recover money
Acting in the first hours makes the difference between recovering money or losing it permanently. The protocol is always the same, and the sooner it is activated, the better. Contact your bank to block accounts and cards, and keep screenshots of any suspicious messages as evidence. Bank fraud leaves a digital trail, and that trail is exactly what authorities need to investigate.
File a report with the National Police or the Civil Guard, and also inform the Bank of Spain if the bank does not respond adequately. The free 017 line from INCIBE offers confidential guidance for victims of any type of digital scam.
Banks fortify themselves: artificial intelligence and legal responsibility
The landscape, despite everything, has reasons for moderate optimism. Financial institutions are accelerating behavioural analysis systems with artificial intelligence capable of blocking suspicious operations in real time, before the money leaves the account. The technology that today threatens also begins to protect, and that race is gradually balancing.
Moreover, the Supreme Court has already set a precedent by forcing banks to assume responsibility when they fail to prevent obvious fraudulent operations. Combined with increasingly stringent European regulations, bank fraud is beginning to face an adversary of its stature: better technology, greater legal responsibility, and, little by little, a more alert citizenry.
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