Phone fraudster impersonates police officer – badge number no guarantee
Cybercriminals posing as investigators from the Budapest Police Headquarters are calling victims to extract bank account details. The names of Revolut and MBH Bank are being misused in the deception.
Bank details stolen by those posing as police officers
A new wave of phone fraud is sweeping across Hungary: cybercriminals are impersonating employees of the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) and attempting to obtain sensitive financial data from targeted victims. Divany.hu reported on the method, citing information from Világgazdaság.
How the fraud works
The fraudsters call the victim on a mobile phone – the caller's number does not appear on the device. They already know the victim's name, introduce themselves as a cybercrime police officer, and even recite a – presumably fabricated – badge number in order to build trust.
They then inform the person that a large, suspicious financial transaction has been initiated from their bank account. They claim that although the bank's cyber protection system has blocked the transaction, it was likely fraud or a money-laundering attempt. They read out fabricated details and add that the transfer would have been directed to the account of a person wanted in connection with money laundering.
Misusing the names of Revolut and MBH Bank
According to online comments, the criminals most frequently use the names of Revolut and MBH Bank to carry out the deception. If the victim starts to become suspicious, the fraudster has a ready explanation: due to the sensitivity of the banking system, the customer could not have received notification of the blocked transaction.
If the victim asks how the fraudster obtained their phone number, the cybercriminal typically hangs up. In many cases, however, the fraud does not end there: the caller is transferred to another "colleague" who now poses as a bank employee and requests access credentials needed for the account.
What should we do if we receive such a call?
Kiberpajzs draws attention to the following: if anyone receives such a phone call, they should hang up immediately. The presence of a badge number alone is not a guarantee that the person on the phone is actually a police officer.
If someone has become a victim of the fraud or suspects that criminals have obtained their banking details, they must act as quickly as possible:
- Notify your bank – the sooner you report the fraud, the greater the chance of minimising damage and preventing further losses.
- File a report with the police – the cyber attack, which most commonly takes the form of phishing, constitutes a criminal offence.
Kiberpajzs emphasises firmly: the sooner these steps are taken, the more certain it is that the victim will avoid serious consequences.
Source: Google News HU — Crime (hu)