BCP – SOS POS: Countering Phone Theft With Terminal Payments

13 June 2026

While banks provide emergency hotlines to block accounts, these solutions depend on the very thing that has just been stolen: the customer’s phone.

In Peru, more than 4,000 smartphones are stolen every day. Beyond losing a device, victims often lose immediate access to their banking apps, digital wallets, and security authentication tools, putting their money at serious risk.

BCP, Peru’s largest bank, reimagined an existing piece of financial infrastructure to solve the problem. Instead of asking customers to find a phone to call for help, the bank transformed everyday POS terminals into emergency banking access points. The result was *SOS POS*, a service that allows people to instantly block their accounts after a phone theft, without needing a smartphone, an app, internet access, or even a phone call.

Developed with Circus Grey, “SOS POS” turned thousands of POS terminals located in small businesses across Peru into a distributed emergency network. After a theft, victims can visit a participating store, verify their identity through the terminal, and immediately secure their bank accounts. By leveraging existing infrastructure, BCP created a solution designed for the worst-case scenario: complete loss of digital access. The initiative also gave local merchants a new role as trusted community support points during financial emergencies.

More than a campaign, “SOS POS” became a permanent banking service that addresses a widespread social and financial problem. The initiative launched with over 17,500 active “SOS POS” locations across Peru, with plans to scale the network to 120,000 terminals by 2026. By transforming a transactional device into a tool for financial protection, BCP demonstrated how creativity and technology can create meaningful business innovation while delivering real value to millions of people.