Fake "policewomen" on social media lure people into fraud
Fake profiles posing as female police officers are spreading on social media. Police warn of financial fraud and theft of personal data.
Fake policewoman profiles on networks used for fraud and data theft
Spravy.pravda.sk reports that profiles posing as police officers are increasing on social media. These accounts use photographs generated by artificial intelligence or steal images from other profiles, while also appropriating videos from official police websites.
"The problem is that the person in the photographs often does not exist at all. Behind the profile could be a fraudster whose aim is not to gain sympathy, but a person asking for money for explicit content," police stated.
Fake profiles attract followers with attractive or erotic content and direct them to other platforms, where they convince them to pay for alleged exclusive material. "People often pay for photographs and videos of a person who does not actually exist and has nothing to do with the police," police added.
Similar accounts can serve, in addition to financial fraud, to obtain personal data, redirect to fraudulent websites or build a false relationship, which eventually ends with a request for money or sensitive information.
Police recommend verifying whether the person shown in the profile actually exists, and following only verified official accounts. Unknown individuals should not be sent money or personal data, should not click on suspicious links, and fake profiles should be reported.
"If a profile uses police videos or uniforms and at the same time entices explicit or paid content, be careful. It is probably not a policewoman, but a marketing trick or fraud," police concluded.
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)