Nu launches Scam Alert in Mexico to protect customer money in real time

Mexico City, September 9, 2025. Financial security is one of the main concerns of the Mexican population: 20.9% fear becoming victims of a scam and 19.6% fear being robbed (ENVIPE, 2023). This concern aligns with the findings of a national survey commissioned by Nu and conducted with more than three thousand people at the end of the second quarter of the year, which revealed that secure transactions rank among the top three factors when choosing a financial institution.

To address this need, Nu Mexico is introducing Scam Alert, the first functionality that activates at the moment a suspicious transfer is detected, reinforcing security as a central attribute of its value proposition.

How does Nu’s new tool work?

When a customer enters account details for a transfer, the system, powered by predictive fraud models, automatically analyzes risk signals. If anything unusual is detected, a preventive notification appears in the app: a “friendly voice” that breaks the social engineering and prompts the customer to stop and reconsider before confirming the transaction. The customer decides: cancel the operation and protect their money, or proceed at their own responsibility if confident that the recipient is legitimate.

Scams: a financial and emotional problem

A qualitative study carried out by Nu in 2024, with interviews across different profiles of banked individuals, revealed that scams affect victims not only because of the economic loss but also due to the emotional burden of having been deceived.

Participants highlighted Scam Alert as a particularly valuable feature, as it helps counter one of scammers’ most common tactics: creating a sense of urgency that clouds judgment and makes it difficult to recognize warning signs. By appearing at the critical moment, the alert interrupts that narrative and returns control to the customer, allowing them to pause, reconsider, and decide clearly before sending their money.

Social engineering: how fraud works

Nu’s analysis identified three frequent factors that make customers more vulnerable:

• Urgency: when people feel they must act immediately, whether due to a real emergency or pressure created by the scammer.
  
• Manufactured trust: fraud relies on impersonating someone close, presenting a believable scenario, or using false social validations.
  
• Lack of knowledge: while many believe they can identify a scam, in reality most people are unaware of how scams typically operate.

Nu’s internal research also shows that the most common scams in Mexico revolve around attractive products or services such as smartphones, video games, apartment rentals, concert/sports tickets, and even car sales.

With this new functionality, Nu strengthens its role as a trusted ally that provides peace of mind and puts control in customers’ hands. It is another step in Nu’s strategy to raise the standards of financial security in Mexico, innovating with solutions that combine technology, prevention, and trust.

The campaign: He lied to you, but Scam Alert is here to protect you

The launch of Scam Alert is accompanied by a campaign that taps into a universal sentiment: the pain of being deceived. Inspired by the iconic song Él me mintió by the legendary Amanda Miguel, the campaign translates the concept of financial fraud into an emotional experience that everyone can relate to in one way or another.

The launch campaign will run from September 8 to October 5, with a multiplatform strategy that spans from videos on Nu’s social media channels to TV, radio, and Spotify presence.

With this initiative, Nu is not only introducing a real-time protection tool but also reaffirming its commitment to standing by its customers when they need it most. Scam Alert is proof that security can go hand in hand with empathy and creativity, transforming a painful experience into peace of mind for those who trust Nu.