Santiago mayor also victim of electronic fraud

Santiago Mayor Ulises Rodríguez has disclosed that he too fell victim to electronic fraud, experiencing a fraudulent transfer from one of his personal bank accounts. His revelation comes as an investigation proceeds into an attempt to steal approximately five million pesos from the accounts of the Santiago City Council, a case for which three individuals face judicial proceedings and a fourth remains at large. Rodríguez told Diario Libre that such crimes are not confined to public institutions but represent a widespread criminal modality affecting citizens constantly. "There's an issue now with accounts, not just the Mayor's Office. They were calling me as if they were from the bank, with the bank's promotional music, and the number even appeared on the screen. They master the subject and are committing these scams," Rodríguez stated. He explained that criminals managed to make a transfer from his private account over two months ago, prompting him to file a claim with the bank. Rodríguez detailed how the fraud at the City Council was detected: suspicious operations were caught in time due to the institution's staff monitoring and swift coordination with the bank, which allowed transactions to be blocked before significant damage occurred. "A very attentive person noticed the movements, called the bank, and the account was quickly blocked," he affirmed. He believes an organized structure is behind these electronic frauds. "There's a mounted mafia making calls. We need to see where the information comes from because it seems someone has access to data somewhere," Rodríguez said. He also noted reports of City Council employees whose personal accounts have been targeted for hacking attempts, though these are unrelated to the official City Council accounts. He advised the public to bolster security when using banking services, refrain from providing confidential information over the phone, and minimize debit card use, even stating he eliminated his debit card due to its vulnerability.

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There's an issue now with accounts, not just the Mayor's Office. They were calling me as if they were from the bank, with the bank's promotional music, and the number even appeared on the screen. They master the subject and are committing these scams.