Chile warns of bank scam using RUT

Criminals in Chile are using victims' RUT numbers to force bank account blocks, impersonate bank executives and request verification codes sent by SMS or email. The scheme was reported by Meganoticias and BioBioChile, and it also appeared in television segments that showed the fraud step by step and the banking sector's response.

How does the scam work?

The scheme starts with the collection of the victim's name, RUT and phone number, data that, according to the material reviewed, comes from databases or leaks available online. With that information, the criminals try to log in to online banking using wrong passwords to trigger an account lockout. They then call while posing as the bank's security staff and offer help.

BioBioChile said that the impersonation is aimed at obtaining the verification code and taking control of the money. Meganoticias, meanwhile, reported that the end goal is to recover passwords and access the account balance. The online TV segment also laid out the full sequence, from data gathering and deliberate lockout to the fraudulent call and capture of the code received by SMS or email.

What did the banks say?

Banks repeated publicly that they never ask by phone for verification codes sent by SMS or email. That warning was highlighted in the television material, which presented it as part of the banking sector's official response to the fraud campaign.

BioBioChile linked the scam to other familiar techniques, such as smishing, and described it as part of a broader trend of increasingly sophisticated financial scams in Chile. Free-to-air TV coverage also reinforced the advice not to share those codes with supposed bank executives and framed the case within a wider alert over banking fraud.

What reach did the alert have?

The alert reached Chilean national media on August 31, 2026, with reports from Meganoticias and BioBioChile, plus a segment on a Chilean TV channel and mentions on TVN. The available material does not report confirmed fintech incidents, biometric leaks or 2FA compromises in the country, so the warning is focused on this method, which begins with the RUT and phone-based impersonation.