Fraud help in Uruguay: take the first steps
A fraudulent marketplace listing, impersonated bank message or altered business invoice can result in losses even when the sender appears familiar. Keep the conversation and payment proof, then contact the genuine provider through independently sourced details. This fraud help guide for Uruguay 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
Uruguay’s Interior Ministry explains police-station and specialist cybercrime reporting. Consumer services distinguish an individual claim from an enforcement report. Contact your bank promptly and keep a separate reference for each process. Start with the official reporting guidance for Uruguay, 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 911. 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
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
For an electronic scam, Interior Ministry guidance directs victims to attend a nearby police station or the relevant specialist office. Use the current official guide for office details. Bring transaction records and original communications, and retain your complaint reference. Do not wait until you have identified the scammer’s real name before seeking help.
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
The Dirección General de Cibercrimen provides advice at [email protected]. The ministry’s guidance distinguishes advice from making the complaint. Ask where and how to submit your formal report, and preserve messages, profile links and payment records. Notify your bank separately when financial access or a transaction is involved.
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
Banco Central del Uruguay explains its Central de Riesgos and the information institutions report: https://subsitio.bcu.gub.uy/central-de-riesgos/. Follow its guidance to consult your information and ask the reporting lender about unfamiliar entries. Dispute suspected identity misuse with supporting records. This register is not a universal credit freeze and does not replace checking your accounts.
7. Consumer-Protection Resources
The official consumer service distinguishes consultations, claims seeking resolution with a supplier, and reports requesting enforcement of consumer rules. Choose the relevant option. A regulatory report is not designed to obtain compensation for an individual claim. Keep purchase documents and correspondence, and report suspected crimes separately to police.
Unidad Defensa del Consumidor: https://www.gub.uy/tramites/consulta-reclamo-yo-denuncia-materia-defensa-consumidor
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 Uruguay, 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: 911.
Cybercrime advice: [email protected].
Police or formal complaint guidance: https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-interior/politicas-y-gestion/preguntas-frecuentes
Cybercrime or technical incident guidance: https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-interior/comunicacion/publicaciones/denunciar-ciberdelitos
Unidad Defensa del Consumidor: https://www.gub.uy/tramites/consulta-reclamo-yo-denuncia-materia-defensa-consumidor
Report the Fraud
National Police; Dirección General de Cibercrimen
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.