Scammers use internet messaging apps to impersonate family members and extort money. In one case reported to the police in Kamienna Góra, a 52-year-old woman lost 2,400 PLN in this way.
Mechanism of the scam
Criminals begin their actions with a message saying "Mom, it's my new number," often explaining the change as, for example, losing a phone. Instead of traditional voice calls, they aim to conduct conversations exclusively through messaging apps and ask for discretion. In the next stage, they extort financial funds by requesting an urgent transfer to a specified account, which may be justified by, for example, lack of access to a banking application.
How to protect yourself
As the police inform, warning signs may include language errors, unusual speaking style, or unnatural sentence structure. It is worth remaining vigilant when the interlocutor avoids telephone calls. To verify a person's identity, one should try to contact the loved one on their previous phone number. Police officers also appeal against making any transfers solely based on a conversation via a messaging app and recommend establishing a special security password within the family.