Online fraud: Capital Police detail four schemes and how to protect yourself
The Capital Police explain the most common methods of digital fraud and warn that nobody is immune, regardless of age or education level.
Nobody is safe: how the most common online fraud schemes work
Cotidianul.ro reports that, as part of the national campaign "Crime Prevention Week", dedicated in this edition exclusively to digital safety, the Romanian Police presented to the public the most frequent traps in the online environment. Cmș. Mihai Mădălin Mincu, head of the Crime Analysis and Prevention Service at the Capital Police, detailed the mechanisms by which attackers extract money from victims' accounts.
Data showing the scale of the problem
An experiment conducted in 2021, as part of the national #SiguranțaOnline project — run by the Romanian Police together with the National Directorate for Cyber Security (DNSC) and the Romanian Bankers' Association (ARB) — attracted over 6,700 people who accessed fictitious phishing banners in just six days. Of these, 55% were pursuing a "guaranteed gain", 38% were interested in electrical appliances, 5% in guaranteed investments and 2% in a dream holiday. The profile most exposed to illusory financial promises is that of men aged between 35 and 54 years, who represent 60% of those attracted.
A single fraud scheme — whether false bank credit or fictitious investments — generates annual losses of millions of euros from Romanian accounts, according to the same source.
Who are the victims
Police officers reject the prejudice that only elderly persons or those without education would fall into such traps. The manipulation used by attackers is designed to work regardless of the target's level of education, and among recent victims have been both seniors and young people with well-paid jobs, Mincu stated.
The psychological pressure exerted in real time pushes people towards decisions that they do not consciously realise at the moment, the officer explained. Seniors remain vulnerable outside the internet as well, where the classic "Accident" scheme continues to claim victims, as do fraud schemes of the type "you've won a prize — answer a simple question".
Once a bank transfer has been made, the scope for the authorities to intervene becomes minimal. "Once a transfer has been made via a bank, even if we call, in most cases the bank cannot stop the transaction", Mincu stated.
The four main schemes
Classified advertisement platforms. A fake buyer contacts the seller on WhatsApp or another messaging application and sends them an external link, claiming that the product has already been paid for and that only the entering of card details is needed to receive the amount. Protection consists in staying exclusively in the platform's official chat and refusing to enter card details, in particular the CVC/CVV code — any legitimate payment requires only the IBAN code.
False Ghișeul.ro or fictitious fine. An SMS or an e-mail announces a violation caught by a radar or an unpaid fine, with a short link for urgent payment. Police officers recommend not opening any link received from unknown numbers or addresses, and any potential debt should be checked directly on the official ghiseul.ro website or in the official application.
Fake bank employees or fake police officers. The scheme begins with a phone call from a purported bank employee — or even from a fake police officer — warning that someone is trying to take out a loan in the victim's name. Under pressure, the person is persuaded to take out a loan themselves and transfer the money to a so-called "security account". No bank requests loans or transfers as a method of protecting an account; the call should be ended immediately, and the customer should call themselves to the official support number on the back of the card.
Fictitious investments. Trap advertisements use the image of public figures or well-known companies to promise enormous gains on false trading platforms. Victims are initially asked for small sums, 200–300 lei, which are returned multiplied to win their trust, after which follow requests for thousands of euros. Huge and guaranteed profit does not exist in legitimate financial investments, police officers emphasise; before any payment, the official website of the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) must be checked to see whether the entity in question is authorised.
What to do if you have been a victim of fraud
Persons who have fallen prey to an online fraud can report it to the Romanian Police by calling 112, in the case of emergencies or ongoing offences, or by filing a complaint at the nearest police station. The DNSC can be contacted at the cyber emergency number 1911 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The first immediate step is to block the card from the issuing bank's application, followed by a call to the support service of that institution.
Source: Cotidianul.ro