A series of recent court cases and police investigations in Spain is highlighting a particular form of financial abuse involving older people: when another person has regular access to their mobile phone, bank cards, PINs or financial accounts, that access can potentially be used to move or spend money without their knowledge.

The cases are not evidence that Bizum itself is unsafe. Instead, they show how digital payments can become part of financial abuse when criminals, carers or other people with access to a victim’s devices and financial information exploit a position of trust.

One recent case in San Sebastián involved 17 unauthorised Bizum transfers worth more than €7,000. Other cases across Spain have involved thousands of euros withdrawn from bank accounts or spent through trusted relationships.

17 Bizum Transfers Added Up to More Than €7,000

The latest case was heard by the Provincial Court of Gipuzkoa.

A woman who worked as a domestic employee in San Sebastián used the mobile phone of the man she cared for to make 17 Bizum transfers to her own telephone number between January and March 2025.

The transfers amounted to more than €7,000 and were made without the man's knowledge or consent.

The woman admitted the offences and was sentenced to 21 months and one day in prison. The conviction is final, but the prison sentence was suspended for two years on conditions including repayment of the money and not committing another offence. She is required to repay the amount in monthly instalments.

The case is notable because it did not involve a sophisticated cyberattack. The alleged abuse relied on access to the victim's own telephone and the trust associated with the caring relationship.

Another Case Involved 34 Cash Withdrawals

The pattern extends beyond mobile payment applications.

In Salamanca, the Provincial Court sentenced a domestic worker to two years in prison after she obtained the PIN of an elderly woman’s bank card and made 34 cash withdrawals of €300 each.

The withdrawals, made between January and July 2023, totalled €10,200 and were carried out without the cardholder's knowledge or consent, according to the judgment.

The woman had worked in the victim's home providing household and care services. The court found that she had taken advantage of the trust and vulnerability arising from that relationship.

The prison sentence was suspended for three years, subject to conditions including repayment. The judgment records that €4,000 had already been paid towards the civil liability, leaving €6,200 outstanding at the time of the ruling.

A €5,294 Case in Pamplona

A separate case in Pamplona involved a 71-year-old domestic worker who was sentenced to two years in prison after using the trust placed in her by the woman she cared for.

According to the Provincial Court of Navarra, the worker used a pharmacy account held by the woman to obtain medicines and cosmetics for her own personal use between 2016 and November 2024.

The purchases totalled €5,294.13.

The conviction followed an agreement between the prosecution and defence. The prison sentence was suspended for five years on condition that the money was repaid and that the woman did not reoffend.

The case demonstrates that financial abuse does not necessarily involve taking cash directly from a bank account. Access to established payment arrangements and trusted services can also be misused.

Barcelona Investigation Involves €17,000

Another case remains under investigation in Barcelona.

Mossos d'Esquadra arrested a 38-year-old male nurse in February 2026 after investigators detected suspicious financial movements involving an 80-year-old woman who had recently died.

Police identified two transfers of €10,000 and €7,000 to an account belonging to the arrested man, as well as several failed attempts involving Bizum.

Investigators suspect that the man took advantage of access to the woman's mobile phone after her death. He was arrested on suspicion of fraud and sent to prison by a duty judge, although the allegations remain subject to the judicial process and he has not been convicted in relation to this case.

Why Access to a Phone Matters

Modern smartphones can contain far more financial access than a traditional wallet.

A phone may provide access to banking applications, payment services, authentication messages and account notifications. When combined with knowledge of passwords, PINs or other financial information, regular physical access to a device can create opportunities for abuse.

The San Sebastián case illustrates this particularly clearly. The court case centred on transfers made directly from the victim's phone rather than on a sophisticated hacking operation.

That is why protecting access to a mobile phone can be an important part of protecting someone's finances.

Banco de España Warns About Bizum Scams

Banco de España has separately warned consumers that fraudsters are increasingly using social-engineering techniques around Bizum.

One common method is the so-called “Bizum inverso”, or reverse Bizum. A supposed buyer may say they are going to send money but instead send a request for payment.

If the recipient accepts that request without reading the notification carefully, they are actually authorising money to leave their account.

The central bank also warns about fake refunds, in which someone claims to have transferred money by mistake and asks the victim to return it without first checking whether the original payment actually arrived. In some circumstances, money apparently received may itself have originated from a compromised account.

Receiving Money Does Not Require Approval

One of the simplest warnings from Banco de España is also one of the most useful.

When someone genuinely sends you money through Bizum, the recipient does not need to authorise the receipt. The money is credited automatically.

A notification asking you to enter a code, approve a request or confirm a payment should therefore be checked carefully before anything is accepted.

The central bank recommends reading notifications closely, being particularly cautious when dealing with unknown recipients and avoiding decisions made under pressure or urgency.

Bizum Payments Are Immediate

Banco de España also notes that Bizum payments are immediate and irrevocable.

That makes checking the recipient and the amount before confirming especially important. Once a payment has been authorised, it cannot simply be cancelled through Bizum in the same way as an ordinary pending bank transaction.

This does not mean people who believe an unauthorised transaction has occurred should simply accept the loss. Banco de España advises victims to contact their bank and report suspected fraud to the police, while keeping evidence such as screenshots and the telephone numbers associated with the transaction.

Protecting Older Relatives

Older people who receive assistance with shopping, banking or their phones may need particular care around who has access to their financial information.

Basic precautions can reduce the opportunity for misuse.

Bank PINs and passwords should not be shared unnecessarily. Phones should be protected with a secure screen lock, and bank notifications and account movements should be checked regularly.

Families can also help older relatives understand the difference between receiving a payment and authorising one, particularly when someone else is helping them use a mobile phone or banking application.

What to Do When Something Looks Wrong

Anyone who notices an unfamiliar payment, transfer or withdrawal should contact their bank as soon as possible and report the suspected fraud to the police.

It is also important to preserve evidence, including transaction records, messages, screenshots and telephone numbers.

The exact response can depend on the circumstances of the transaction, so contacting the bank promptly is important rather than assuming that a payment is automatically lost.

The Wider Warning

The recent Spanish cases show that financial abuse can take place through very ordinary means.

A phone, a bank card, a PIN or access to an established account can be enough to cause significant financial losses when that access is misused.

For older people who rely on relatives, carers or other trusted individuals for everyday assistance, protecting financial information and monitoring transactions can therefore be just as important as recognising conventional online scams.

The lesson from the cases is not that Bizum is inherently dangerous. It is that the convenience of instant digital payments makes it particularly important to know exactly what is being authorised, who has access to a device and where money is going.