Reviewed by Hugo Gonçalves, Founder & Risk Management Specialist at Adler & Rochefort · Degree in Business Management (University of Hertfordshire) · Ongoing training at the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), London.
The most expensive cyber event a private family is likely to suffer is not a hacked laptop. It is a payment diverted to a fraudster — a property deposit, a completion payment, a builder’s invoice — after an email that looked exactly like the lawyer’s. In Portugal and Spain, where international buyers routinely transfer large sums during a property purchase, this happens often.
We arrange family cyber and fraud cover, as an extension to a high-value home policy or as a standalone policy, placed with insurers, specialist markets and co-brokerage partners who write personal cyber risks.
Families whose financial life runs through email, messaging and online banking — which is nearly all of them.
The common events are the same in both countries: payment-diversion fraud (an intercepted or spoofed email changes the bank details), impersonation of a family member or adviser on messaging apps, ransomware on personal devices, account takeover, identity theft used to open credit or accounts, and harassment or reputational attacks online. What differs is mostly practical:
| Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Property transactions | Deposits under the promissory contract (CPCV) and completion funds often move by transfer between parties and lawyers | Deposits under the arras contract and completion payments, usually around the notary appointment |
| Reporting | Report to the bank at once, and to the Polícia Judiciária’s cybercrime unit | Report to the bank at once, and to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil cybercrime units |
| Data protection | GDPR, supervised by the CNPD | GDPR, supervised by the AEPD |
One habit prevents most payment-diversion losses: before any significant transfer, confirm the bank details by telephone with the recipient, on a number you already know — never one given in the email that asks for the payment.
Personal cyber wordings vary widely. These are the sections that matter most.
Loss of funds transferred as a result of deception, including diverted deposit or completion payments — often sub-limited, so the limit must be checked.
Response costs and, where lawful, extortion payments after ransomware or threats to release data from personal devices or the home network.
Costs of restoring identity and credit records, legal costs, and lost time.
Support after cyberbullying or online attacks, including legal advice, psychological support and reputational specialists.
Recovering data and restoring devices and systems after malware or a cyber attack.
Restoring connected security, heating and home-automation systems after an attack.
Immediate access to specialists who help contain the incident and preserve evidence.
Personal cyber underwriting is short. A few answers make the difference.
Before any proposal you receive a written note: what the exposure actually is, where your current policies stop, and what a well-placed policy should contain. It is yours to keep whether or not you proceed.
Family cyber cover is available as an extension to some high-value home policies and as standalone cover from specialist markets. We compare both routes and place the one that fits, directly or through co-brokerage partners, with the limits stated in writing.
The same person handles the file from the first conversation through placement, every renewal and any claim. You never re-explain your circumstances to somebody new.
If something happens, we notify the insurer, assemble the documentation, and stay with the claim until it is settled, in writing, with a record of every step.
Adler & Rochefort is an ASF-registered insurance intermediary, not tied to any insurer, with its head office in Lisbon and clients across Portugal and Spain. No client names are published, and information about what you own or how you live goes only to the markets approached on your instructions.
Tell us briefly what you would like to protect, and where. We reply in writing, in English, within 24 hours, with a first assessment and the information an underwriter will need. No call is required at any stage.
By sending this form you agree to us using your details to prepare and discuss the cover, in line with our privacy policy. We never sell your data, and we do not publish client names or details of what we insure.
We will reply in writing within 24 hours.