Polizia Postale warns of fraudulent mobile payment requests

The Italian Postal Police (Polizia Postale) have issued an alert regarding fraudulent payment requests sent via mobile applications. Scammers are targeting services linked to telephone numbers, including BANCOMAT Pay and similar platforms, to solicit unauthorized money transfers.

The fraudulent scheme does not rely on technical vulnerabilities within the apps themselves, but rather on the deceptive use of standard payment request functions. Criminals send mass requests to numerous users, hoping that some will approve the transaction due to haste, distraction, or error without verifying the recipient's identity.

Authorities advise users to always verify the identity of the beneficiary, the amount, and the reason for payment before authorizing any transaction. If a request is suspicious or the requester is unknown, the transaction should be rejected and the user should contact their bank through official channels.