"Friend" fraud in Jelenia Góra – 1,000 złoty stolen via messenger
Police in Jelenia Góra warn of frauds involving hijacked social media accounts. A victim lost 1,000 złoty after providing an authorisation code.
Breach of acquaintance's account used to steal 1,000 złoty
Google News PL — Crime (pl) reports on a case of "friend" fraud that was reported on 25 August 2026 at Precinct II of the Police in Jelenia Góra. A resident of Karkonosze County received a message via messenger from a person posing as his acquaintance. The correspondent claimed he urgently needed money and requested immediate assistance.
Convinced that he was communicating with someone close to him, the man provided the authorisation code he had received. 1,000 złoty disappeared from his account. However, contact with the fraudster did not end after this transaction — the perpetrator requested another transfer. This time the victim became suspicious. Soon his suspicion was confirmed: the real acquaintance informed him that someone had hijacked his social media account.
How fraud involving hijacked accounts works
Police officers in Jelenia Góra explain the mechanism by which perpetrators operate. After hijacking an account on a social media platform, the fraudster contacts people from the account owner's friends list. The message may look identical to previous conversations — the perpetrator uses the victim's name, profile picture and information gathered from the victim's profile to lend credibility to his story.
A common element of almost every such attack is time pressure. Messages in the style of "I urgently need money", "lend me some for a moment", "I have a payment problem" or "send me a code" should immediately raise the recipient's alert — officers emphasise.
How to verify who you are talking to
Police officers point to several practical ways to verify the identity of the person you are communicating with. The simplest is direct telephone contact — but not using the number sent in the message, rather the one saved earlier in your phone. You can also ask a question about a shared event that only the real acquaintance would know.
Officers additionally note that a bank, police officer or any other institution should not request an authorisation code used to confirm a financial transaction. Any such request should be treated as a warning signal.
What to do if you detect fraud
If someone realises they may have fallen victim to fraud, police recommend taking several steps without unnecessary delay. First and foremost, you should contact your bank, inform it of the incident and secure access to your account. It is also necessary to change passwords, especially if login details may have been compromised.
It is also worthwhile to notify the person the fraudster was impersonating, and to warn other acquaintances on their contact list who may receive similar messages. Police recommend keeping all correspondence with the perpetrator — screenshots, telephone numbers and account details — as evidence material helpful in establishing the perpetrator's identity.
Deputy Inspector Edyta Bagrowska, spokesperson for Jelenia Góra police, appeals: a moment of caution can protect against loss of savings. The mere presence of a message on an acquaintance's account is not sufficient proof that it is actually that person on the other side of the conversation.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)