He sent a photo to a woman he met online. He lost a lot of money. Police warn

At the same time, we warn against hasty making friends online. A man who was a victim of fraud transferred over PLN 2,000 to a woman before he reported to the police station. He almost lost several times more.

He met an attractive woman online. Shortly thereafter, he lost money

A young resident of Ostrołęka met – as the police describe – an attractive woman online who quickly gained his trust. While corresponding via the Internet, the fraudster persuaded the man to send her an intimate photo of himself. He agreed, and soon after it turned out that the person he was corresponding with had completely different intentions than it initially seemed.

The woman began to blackmail the injured party, demanding a total of PLN 17,500 from him. The police do not describe the details of the case, so we can only assume why she demanded money. The man gave in to the threats and sent the woman five transfers for a total amount of PLN 2,100. Only then did he go to the police station and describe the case to the officers. The police do not reveal the outcome of the case in their statement, but they use it to warn us – let’s be careful what we share online and with whom.

The scam described is a type of phishing and is called sextortion. It’s nothing new either. It usually starts with correspondence via the Internet and instilling trust in the potential victim. Once the victim bites the hook, the scammer changes the narrative and demands money in exchange for not publishing intimate photos. Both men and women fall victim to this fraud.

The police appeal to people to be careful when making friends online. As he writes, we should always adhere to the principle of limited trust, regardless of the nature of the relationship. It is also better to think three times before sharing any photo with a new person. The officers remind us that once a photo has been published online, it may never be removed.