Fraud help in Portugal: take the first steps
A fraudulent rental listing, fake job offer or payment request using a genuine company name can leave you unsure whom to trust. Whether you live in Portugal or were targeted while visiting, prompt action can help limit further harm. This fraud help guide for Portugal 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
A police complaint records the suspected crime. Your bank handles immediate payment risks, while CERT.PT receives technical cybersecurity reports. These processes serve different purposes, so one report may not cover everything you need. Start with Portugal’s official complaint guidance, 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, call 112. For a non-emergency fraud complaint, contact a police service directly.
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
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 if you entered payment details on a fake website or approved a payment after an impersonation call. Ask it to review pending payments and affected access credentials. Banco de Portugal’s banking-customer portal provides information about banking services and complaint routes: https://clientebancario.bportugal.pt/pt-pt/servicos-ao-publico
3. Report the Fraud to Police
Report suspected fraud to a police service or the Ministério Público. The Polícia Judiciária accepts complaints in person and through its Queixa Eletrónica service. Online reporting requires the authentication method specified by the portal, such as Cartão de Cidadão or Chave Móvel Digital. If you cannot use the online service, report in person and bring identification.
Do not delay contacting police while collecting documents. Ask which complaint procedure and any time limit apply to your case. An anonymous tip is not necessarily the formal complaint required from a victim.
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
For online fraud, account intrusion or other suspected cybercrime, file a complaint with police using the routes above. Keep original emails, website addresses, usernames, screenshots and payment references.
You can also report a technical cybersecurity incident to Portugal’s national incident-response team, CERT.PT, through CNCS. Its published incident contact is [email protected]. This technical report does not replace a criminal complaint or a bank dispute. Avoid sending passwords, one-time codes or unnecessary identity documents. If your device is compromised, use another trusted device to contact your bank and secure your accounts.
5. Protect Your Identity
Report identity misuse to police, including any loan application, account or contract you did not authorise.
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.
If a Portuguese identity document or digital authentication method may be compromised, contact its official issuing service for the appropriate cancellation or security procedure. Keep copies of written disputes about unfamiliar debts.
6. Protect Your Credit
Request your free mapa de responsabilidades de crédito through Banco de Portugal’s official Central Credit Register service. Guidance: https://clientebancario.bportugal.pt/pt-pt/responsabilidades-de-credito
Review the lenders and credit responsibilities shown. If an entry is unfamiliar or incorrect, contact the institution that reported it. Banco de Portugal explains that corrections must be made by the reporting institution. A credit report is not a credit freeze and does not reveal every possible use of your identity. Continue checking bank statements and correspondence.
7. Consumer-Protection Resources
The Direção-Geral do Consumidor provides information about consumer rights and routes for consumer disputes: https://www.gov.pt/pt/entidades/direcao-geral-do-consumidor
Keep your order confirmation, invoices and correspondence. If a real trader is involved, make a written complaint and ask which complaint or dispute-resolution route applies. Where criminal deception is suspected, also report it to police. A consumer complaint does not automatically recover a payment or replace your bank’s dispute process.
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.
If a recruiter claims to arrange work or residence in Portugal, independently confirm the employer and the relevant Portuguese authority or consulate before sending further documents or fees. Preserve any forged contract, visa letter or payment receipt for police.
Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers
Emergency: 112.
PJ complaint guidance: https://justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Apresentar-queixa
PJ electronic complaint: https://www.policiajudiciaria.pt/queixa-eletronica/
CERT.PT technical incident contact: [email protected]
Banco de Portugal customer services: https://clientebancario.bportugal.pt/pt-pt/servicos-ao-publico
Consumer authority: https://www.gov.pt/pt/entidades/direcao-geral-do-consumidor
Report the Fraud
Polícia Judiciária (PJ), PSP, GNR or Ministério Público for criminal complaints; CNCS/CERT.PT for technical cyber incidents
Official Sources
- Portugal government: emergency contacts
- Ministry of Justice: making a complaint
- PJ electronic complaint
- Portugal government: PJ complaint and authentication
- PJ: anonymous reports versus complaints
- CNCS: internet safety and reporting contacts
- CNCS: CERT.PT
- Banco de Portugal: credit responsibilities and corrections
- Banco de Portugal: public services
- Portugal government: consumer authority
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.