Fraud help in Chile: take the first steps
A fake bank alert, cloned business account or fraudulent online purchase can lead to payment losses and further identity risks. In Chile, retaining proof of your criminal complaint can also matter when you pursue a financial-fraud claim. This fraud help guide for Chile brings together practical steps and official resources so you can decide whom to contact and what information to prepare.
Start with the most immediate risk. If money or bank access is involved, contact your bank promptly. Keep the original messages and documents, and write down what happened while it is fresh in your mind. You can ask for help before you have gathered every piece of evidence.
Use the right reporting service
PDI, Carabineros and the Ministerio Público provide criminal-reporting routes. SERNAC explains consumer and financial-fraud claim steps. Contact your financial provider promptly and confirm its required documents and deadlines. Start with the official reporting guidance for Chile, then follow the relevant sections below for banking, identity protection and consumer complaints. Keep copies of reports and reference numbers so you can follow up consistently.
Check suspicious letters and payment requests
A real company name, familiar logo or official-looking document is not enough to establish authenticity. Read our guide to company letterhead security and impersonation scams, and learn how secure business communication can help organisations make correspondence easier to verify.
Contact the claimed sender through details you find independently before taking further action. Be cautious of unsolicited recovery offers that demand an advance payment or promise guaranteed results. For incidents involving another jurisdiction, visit the country-by-country Fraud Help directory.
1. Stop Further Losses
If someone is in immediate danger or urgent emergency assistance is needed, call 134 for urgent assistance from the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI). Use the police reporting routes below for non-emergency complaints.
Stop communicating with the suspected scammer and do not send more money. Contact your bank immediately if money, card details or account access are involved. Save messages, payment records and suspicious documents. If someone has remote access to your device, disconnect it from the internet and contact your bank from another trusted device.
2. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider
Notify the financial provider immediately and request its fraud-claim instructions in writing. SERNAC’s guidance identifies requirements involving a formal criminal complaint and proof submitted to the provider, including a 30-calendar-day deadline measured from the relevant notice or sworn declaration. Check which requirements and deadlines apply to your claim now; do not delay reporting while collecting evidence or assume automatic reimbursement.
Use your bank’s official app or a trusted telephone number. Explain whether a payment was unauthorised or you were deceived into approving it. Ask about securing cards and online banking, tracing transactions and any available recall or dispute process. Keep a written record of your notification and the bank’s response. Do not send money to a caller’s supposed “safe account”. Recovery depends on the circumstances and is not guaranteed.
Tell the bank which credentials or identification methods were exposed, whether you installed remote-access software and whether you approved any payment. Ask for a case reference and written instructions. If you disagree with its response, request its formal complaint procedure and the relevant dispute-resolution route.
3. Report the Fraud to Police
Report suspected fraud to PDI, Carabineros or the Ministerio Público. ChileAtiende explains how to make a complaint at a PDI unit. Retain documentary proof of the formal complaint, particularly if you are also disputing financial transactions. Ask the receiving office how to provide additional records and follow up.
Prepare a short timeline, payment records, recipient account details, original messages, website addresses and copies of suspicious documents. Explain how the contact began and what money or information you shared. Keep the complaint reference and any instructions for providing additional evidence.
4. Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud
Online fraud should be reported through the criminal-reporting process. SERNAC’s fraud guidance explains that financial claims may require proof of a formal complaint. Preserve the fraudulent messages and transaction details. A consumer enquiry or warning report is not equivalent to that criminal complaint.
Keep original evidence and use a trusted device to secure affected accounts. Do not send passwords, one-time codes or full payment-card details in an incident report.
5. Protect Your Identity
Notify every bank, lender, telecom provider or online platform where your identity was misused. Dispute unfamiliar accounts or debts in writing and keep the replies. Change compromised passwords from a trusted device, secure your email first and enable two-factor authentication. If an identity document is lost or stolen, contact its issuing authority about reporting, blocking or replacement.
Report suspected criminal identity misuse to police and list the affected accounts or contracts. Notify the issuer of any compromised digital identity or electronic signature. Keep unfamiliar credit notices and invoices, and dispute fraudulent agreements directly with the organisation concerned.
6. Protect Your Credit
CMF’s Conoce tu Deuda service provides information on borrowing reported by institutions under its supervision: https://conocetudeuda.cmfchile.cl/informe-deudas/. Follow the current ClaveÚnica and authentication requirements. Review unfamiliar obligations and dispute them with the reporting provider. The report may have a reporting delay and is not a universal credit freeze.
7. Consumer-Protection Resources
SERNAC receives consumer complaints through its designated channels. Keep the provider’s response and your supporting records. Check whether a specialist regulator or another procedure is appropriate for the issue. The consumer process does not replace the formal criminal complaint required in some financial-fraud claims.
Servicio Nacional del Consumidor (SERNAC): https://www.chileatiende.gob.cl/fichas/4947-reclamo-en-sernac
For a purchase dispute, keep the order confirmation, receipts, advertised terms and correspondence. Ask your payment provider about any available dispute or chargeback process without waiting for a regulator’s response. Recovery depends on the circumstances.
8. Employment and Immigration Fraud
Verify the employer through independently sourced contact details. Keep the job advertisement, offer letter, recruiter messages and payment requests. Report fraudulent adverts to the hosting platform. If you paid money or shared identity documents, contact your bank and police and follow the identity-protection steps above. For immigration claims, confirm the procedure and official fees with the responsible authority or consulate; a professional-looking letter does not prove that it is genuine.
Do not receive or forward money through your personal account for an unverified employer. For a claimed job or permit in Chile, independently contact the employer and the responsible government authority or consulate. Preserve forged offers and payment requests for police.
Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers
Emergency assistance: 134 for urgent assistance from the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI).
Police or formal complaint guidance: https://www.chileatiende.gob.cl/fichas/1795-realizar-una-denuncia-de-un-delito
Cybercrime or technical incident guidance: https://www.sernac.gob.cl/portal/604/w3-article-86519.html
Servicio Nacional del Consumidor (SERNAC): https://www.chileatiende.gob.cl/fichas/4947-reclamo-en-sernac
Report the Fraud
Policía de Investigaciones (PDI), Carabineros or Ministerio Público
Official Sources
Received a suspicious business document?
Check whether a document issued through VerifiableLetter is authentic.
Important: This guide provides general information, not legal, financial or emergency advice. Procedures and contact details can change. Confirm requirements with the relevant authority. Reporting does not guarantee investigation, reimbursement or recovery.