The police warn that in recent months the activities of fraudsters using the so-called “grandson method”. This name is conventional because criminals also impersonate bank employees, police officers or financial advisors. Estimates of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław show that over PLN 500,000 was stolen in this way in one day alone. And the victims of fraudsters were residents of Wrocław, Wałbrzych, Dzierżoniów, Trzebnica and Bolesławiec.
A 77-year-old resident of Bolesławiec reported that unknown interlocutors, pretending to be her grandson and a German policeman, persuaded her to transfer money in the amount of over PLN 94,000 to an unknown woman who came to the senior citizen’s place of residence. An 84-year-old resident of Dzierżoniów County was defrauded in a similar way. A woman called her, pretending to be the daughter of a senior citizen, and managed to transfer property worth over PLN 16,000.
– the Lower Silesian police cites one example of such fraud.
As the officers explain, when trying to extort money using the “cop-off” method, the perpetrators “take advantage of the public trust that our profession inspires. They provide an imaginary ID number, personal details, and when contacting the injured party, they even have a fake badge.”
They rob Poles extensively. The victims are not only seniors
On the same day, a 79-year-old resident of Trzebnica also fell into the trap of criminals. She informed the police that unknown perpetrators, posing as employees of an investment platform, persuaded her to take out several loans and then install an application on her computer, after which they made several transfers to a total amount of almost PLN 250,000.
It’s still not over. A 70-year-old woman from Wałbrzych was similarly deceived. She also received a call from the alleged broker who encouraged her to install a remote desktop program on her device. The fraudster took control of her device and stole PLN 70,000.
Importantly, fraudsters do not only target seniors. Their victims are increasingly often younger people, such as a 35-year-old resident of Wrocław. He informed the police that unknown perpetrators posing as bank employees, under the pretext of avoiding the loss of savings deposited in the account, persuaded him to make several transfers in the total amount of almost PLN 85,000 to the indicated bank account.
The police warn that when undertaking any online transactions, the principle of limited trust and prudence should be followed.
Before you start investing, it is worth familiarizing yourself with all the rules that apply to this type of activity. You should not believe all the assurances of the person who offers you profits. Do not agree to install an application on your computer or phone that allows you to remotely control the device, even if the investment consultant assures that it is safe and necessary for investing. You should not give in to pressure and act on the spur of the moment.
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Are they calling you from the bank’s hotline? This may be a scam. Spoofing is taking its toll in Poland
Telephone spoofing involves impersonating other numbers and then calling victims from them and pretending to be someone else. Fraudsters use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology and the so-called telephone gateways, thanks to which they impersonate, for example, the official hotline of a bank, cable television or gas or electricity supplier.
What is the difference between spoofing and phishing? While phishing is primarily about “catching” our data, spoofing is more sublime because it leads to the fraudster directly taking control of our phone or computer. This, in turn, can lead to huge financial losses – e.g. emptying our bank account.
The scam scheme is usually very similar:
Stage 1. Obtaining information – fraudsters need to obtain as much information as possible about the potential victim to make themselves credible in their eyes.
Stage 2. Telephone – the fraudster calls the victim and the bank’s real hotline number is displayed on his phone. How is this possible? For this purpose, it uses Internet telephony and the so-called spoofing gate.
Stage 3. Interview – During the conversation, the fraudster pretends to be an employee of the selected bank. Most often he claims to be calling from the security department.
Stage 4. Application – then explains that it is necessary to install an application that will allow us to scan our device for viruses.
Stage 5. Taking over the phone – if the victim installs the application, runs it, and then provides the thieves with a verification code, the thieves will gain remote access to the phone. They will be able to log in to the electronic banking application, make transfers and authorize them.
Of course, this is just one attack scenario. A fraudster may impersonate the number of a loved one and send an SMS asking for an urgent transfer of money. In the case of elderly people, scammers may call them and pretend to be their grandson.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
