Portugal fraud crackdown

In early July 2026 Portugal’s National Cybercrime Unit dismantled a transnational phishing operation that had stolen banking details, laundered up to €50 million through Portuguese accounts and falsely used Spain’s Santander brand, resulting in several arrests.

Later that month the Public Security Police reported a 24 % drop in complaints about the long‑running “false‑accident” scam that targets elderly drivers, crediting public‑awareness campaigns while warning of a new variant that intensifies the card‑swap method.

On 24 July the PSP issued a fresh alert about this variant, noting more than 50 reports from Greater Lisbon and victim losses exceeding €200 000. The scheme stages a minor bump between cars, pressures the driver to pay on‑spot with a portable card‑reader or contact‑less phone rig, then swaps the genuine card for a look‑alike that is later used to withdraw cash. Police advise motorists never to hand over their cards, to remain calm and to report incidents with vehicle and suspect details immediately.

Together, the actions illustrate an expanding Portuguese crackdown that tackles both large‑scale cyber fraud and evolving street‑level scams, showing early successes in dismantling a major network and ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable motorists.