"Bank employee" scam in Opole County – man loses 20,000 zlotys
A 34-year-old from Opole County transferred his savings to fraudsters posing as bank employees. Police renew their appeal for caution.
Fake bank employee extorted over 20,000 zlotys from resident of Opole County
According to opole-lubelskie.policja.gov.pl, a 34-year-old resident of Opole County lost over 20,000 zlotys as a result of a "bank employee" scam. The incident occurred on Wednesday, 8 April of this year.
On that day, a woman posing as a bank employee called the man. She informed him that someone was attempting to take out a loan in his name and that the funds accumulated in his account were at risk. In order to "secure" them, an alleged consultant – with whom the 34-year-old spoke during the same call – instructed him to go to a bank branch, withdraw his savings and hand them over personally to a "bank employee" at an agreed location.
The man followed all instructions: he withdrew cash and handed it over to a stranger at the designated location. Only after returning home, when he tried to contact the people he had spoken to, did none of the numbers answer. It was then that he realised he had fallen victim to fraud and informed the police.
Opole police officers have once again appealed for caution in telephone contacts with people posing as employees of financial institutions. They remind people of several basic rules:
- Bank employees never ask for cash to be withdrawn or handed over in person.
- They do not encourage transfers, currency conversions or installation of applications over the telephone.
- In case of doubt, one should hang up and independently call the official bank helpline.
Police encourage conversations with loved ones – particularly elderly people – about the dangers associated with this type of fraud.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)