Scammers are becoming more inventive and using sophisticated tactics to obtain citizens' personal data and money, authorities warn. The most recent method of fraud consists of phone calls where victims are convinced that they have already been scammed, being lied to that they are being offered help, in reality to have their banking information stolen.
PHOTO: Archive
Inspector Ramona Dabija, from the Romanian Police, explained to Antena 3 CNN that this method is complex and difficult to recognize.
“Indeed, the imagination of these hackers, in quotation marks, is unparalleled. The last method, if you will, is even closer to what happens in real life, which is that when you are called, you first receive a recorded message, which makes you think that the call is being recorded, which is false. After that, it connects you to an operator who, on top of that, prompts you to create a virtual card, under the pretext that your other cards will be blocked. Everything happens in a slurred English. If you're in a hurry, if you don't know English very well, or you just don't have the patience to listen to the messages to the end and take a breath to think a little better, if you even have an account on the platform they're referring to, you risk running out of data.”she explained.
According to the policeman, lately, the fraudsters are posing as policemen, ANAF inspectors or bank officers, using various pretexts to convince the victims to provide the data of cards and bank accounts.
“This is precisely why we urge everyone not to be in a hurry to click if the message comes through a text message or to hang up the phone if they are called. Also, not to give the bank details, because no state or banking institution asks for all the details on your card. It is important to check directly with the bank unit where they have the account and report this method of fraud”. Ramona Dabija also said.
Police recommend that people who receive such calls remain calm and patient, do not act impulsively, and do not provide any personal or banking information over the phone or text. In addition, it is advisable that all fraud attempts be reported to the competent institutions, in order to prevent financial losses and the spread of this new method of fraud.
Authorities warn that these scams are becoming more sophisticated and more realistic, making victims more vulnerable, especially if they don't speak English well or are in a hurry.
