Portugal's routes in 2026: call your bank's fraud line to block the card and attempt a recall; report the crime to the Polícia Judiciária (its cybercrime unit) with a queixa at policiajudiciaria.pt, or file at any PSP / GNR station; call 112 if money is moving now. Report phishing sites and incidents to the CNCS / CERT.PT (cncs.gov.pt), and forward a scam SMS to 761 777 000. The Gabinete de Cibercrime (Public Prosecutor) coordinates cybercrime cases. For a bank that won't resolve a complaint, escalate to the Banco de Portugal; for investment fraud, check and report the firm to the CMVM. Under EU law an unauthorised payment must be refunded; a transfer you were deceived into making yourself generally is not — so speed and a clear report are everything.
If you've just been scammed in Portugal, the first 24 hours come down to two things: stopping any further loss, and building a record while the evidence still exists. The order below is the fastest path through a system that, like Italy's, has no single front door.
If you're reading this with a transfer you already regret, skip to if money has already moved — a same-day bank recall is sometimes the only thing that works.
The hard truth about getting your money back
This matters most, because it sets your expectations correctly before you spend a week chasing the wrong outcome.
Portuguese law follows the EU baseline through the Payment Services Directive. If a payment was unauthorised — someone used your card or accessed your account without permission — your bank must refund it, and your liability is generally capped at €50. If you authorised the payment yourself while deceived — a transfer or an MB WAY approval you made because a convincing "bank security" message told you to — that counts as a valid instruction, and the automatic EU refund right does not apply.
Start with your bank and the Polícia Judiciária
Two reports matter most, and the order is the same every time: the bank moves on the money, the Polícia Judiciária opens the criminal case.
The full Portuguese reporting directory, by scam type
Different scams route to different specialists. Using the right one matters more than reporting to all of them.
If money has already moved — the first 24 hours
Speed is the whole game. This is the maximum-recovery order:
The habits that keep you out of the reporting machinery entirely
Reporting is downstream. Prevention is upstream, and three habits stop most Portuguese scams cold:
If you're unsure whether something is a scam before any money moves, the fastest second opinion is the Scam Checker on this site, or our free case review. Both are read by a human and answered within 24 hours.
One rule, end to end
If you take one habit from this piece, take this: any unsolicited call, message, or MB WAY request that pressures you to move or approve money is a scam until you have verified it by contacting your bank back on a number you already trust. Portugal will help you report it after the fact — but the pause that stops the transfer is still worth more than every authority downstream of it.
In Portugal and not sure where to start? Let's look at it together.
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Common questions about reporting a scam in Portugal
Where do I report a scam in Portugal?
Start with two steps in the same hour: call your bank's fraud line to block the card and attempt a recall, and report the crime to the Polícia Judiciária (PJ), which runs Portugal's cybercrime investigation — file a complaint (queixa) at policiajudiciaria.pt or in person. You can also file at any PSP or GNR station and they forward it. Call 112 if money is moving now. For phishing sites and cyber incidents, report to the CNCS / CERT.PT at cncs.gov.pt; forward a scam SMS to 761 777 000. For a bank that won't resolve a complaint, go to the Banco de Portugal; for investment fraud, check and report the firm to the CMVM.
Will a Portuguese bank refund money I was scammed into sending?
It turns on one distinction. If the payment was unauthorised — someone used your card or accessed your account without permission — EU law (the Payment Services Directive, transposed in Portugal) requires the bank to refund it, with your liability generally capped at €50. If you authorised the transfer yourself because you were deceived, that is legally a valid instruction and the automatic refund right does not apply, so recovery depends on a fast recall, the bank's assessment, or a complaint to the Banco de Portugal. This is changing EU-wide: the new Payment Services Regulation (PSR/PSD3) brings shared liability and a full refund where a fraudster impersonates your bank and you report promptly — but it phases in from 2026, so for now speed and a clear report matter most.
What is the difference between the Polícia Judiciária and the CNCS?
They do different jobs. The Polícia Judiciária (PJ) investigates the crime and pursues the criminals — its cybercrime unit is where you file a queixa to start a criminal case. The CNCS (Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança) and its CERT.PT handle the technical and preventive side at the national level — reporting phishing sites, malicious domains, and incidents — but they do not investigate crimes or recover money. For a financial loss you want the PJ (and your bank); for taking down a phishing page or reporting an incident, you want CNCS / CERT.PT.
I received a fake delivery or bank text in Portugal — what do I do?
Treat it as smishing. Fake 'CTT'/delivery 'customs fee' texts, fake bank 'security' messages, and MB WAY-related scams are among the most common in Portugal — the country is reported to be one of the most targeted in the world for spam and phishing. Never tap the link or approve an MB WAY request you did not initiate. Go to the organisation's official app yourself. Forward the scam SMS to 761 777 000 (run by the CNCS), and report it to the Polícia Judiciária if you lost money.
Someone is offering to recover my lost money for a fee — is that legitimate?
No — that is the second scam, and it specifically targets people who have just lost money. Fake 'recovery' agents, bogus lawyers, and people impersonating the Polícia or your bank will promise to get your money back for an upfront fee, a 'tax', or your banking details. No genuine Portuguese authority or service charges you upfront to recover funds. Block them, and check anything you're unsure about with your bank or with us first.
Sources & further reading
Claims in this piece are attributed to these authorities. Click any of them to verify.