Vishing fraud leaves Prague woman 600,000 crowns worse off in 24 hours
A Prague woman, familiar with warning signs of telephone fraud, lost 600,000 crowns in a single day. The fraudsters posed as police officers and a Czech National Bank employee.
False police officers and banker defraud Prague woman of 600,000 crowns
A woman from Prague 6, who was aware of vishing and its typical warning signs, lost 600,000 crowns in a single day. According to Novinky.cz, the fraudsters psychologically manipulated her over 24 hours before she realised she had become a victim of a sophisticated telephone fraud.
The perpetrators called from a hidden number and initially posed as police officers. At the time, the woman was actually dealing with another matter involving the police and lawyers, which is why a call from a hidden number did not seem suspicious to her.
Stress replaced by empathy
The false police officers contacted her at a moment when she was taking out the rubbish and did not have her documents with her. They began asking whether she had lost them. Throughout the time until she returned home, they kept her on the line and established further details. The woman inadvertently disclosed information that the fraudsters later exploited.
Unlike typical vishing cases, the attackers did not pressure her directly and did not rush. "I had the feeling that they were not actually pressing much," the victim said. She described them as kind and empathetic, perfectly prepared for every objection she raised. Gradually they overwhelmed her with a quantity of information that took her by surprise.
Names of actual officials and fake Czech National Bank forms
The fraudsters appropriated the names of actual police officers and a Czech National Bank employee. The victim verified their existence via the internet during the call and confirmed it. The perpetrators also sent her forms that convincingly mimicked official Czech National Bank documents and persuaded her that her personal information had been leaked from the bank.
When she called the bank to verify the situation, she was told that her personal banker was on holiday and would soon be leaving the bank. "When I asked when they would be back, I found out that they are actually leaving the bank," she said. She interpreted this information as confirmation that the bank had indeed made a mistake.
The fraudsters then began familiarising her with technical details of the bank account. "They wanted to see the things that are pre-set there, which you do not pay attention to," the victim revealed.
600,000 crowns — including money belonging to her mentally incapacitated brother
Everything ultimately led to her being, in her own words, "tangled like a fly in a spider's web" and beginning to send money to the fraudsters. They even manipulated her into sending them money belonging to her mentally incapacitated brother, for whom she is the guardian. In total, she transferred 600,000 crowns to the fraudsters.
The following day the fraudsters called again — this time they wanted access credentials to the account and for money to be transferred directly to their account. The woman then became suspicious and went to the police station to which the fraudsters had previously referred her. There it emerged that the police had never contacted her. She began dealing with the case with the appropriate authorities.
Although she subsequently repeatedly assured herself at the bank that her accounts were in order, the police apparently hold little hope in this regard.
What is vishing and how does it work
Vishing is the telephone equivalent of phishing, in which cybercriminals employ social engineering methods. Whilst phishing takes place through emails that mimic messages from banks, authorities or companies, vishing happens directly over the telephone.
The fraudsters introduce themselves to the victim as police officers or bank employees and attempt to convince them that someone is abusing their account, identity or taking out a loan in their name. The aim is to extract sensitive personal and banking information, or to get the victim to transfer money directly.
Such fraudulent calls have become increasingly frequent in recent years, and their methods are constantly improving — as exemplified by the case of the Prague woman who, despite being aware of fraud risks, did not escape unscathed.
Source: Novinky.cz