Lost almost 90,000 euros: internet criminals are becoming increasingly savvy

taketonews

Lost almost 90,000 euros: internet criminals are becoming increasingly savvy

Last Friday, the VLAS police zone received an urgent report from a man from Lendelede who had fallen victim to phishing. He threatened to lose 90,000 euros. The victim reacted very alertly and immediately alerted Cardstop, his banking institution and PZ Vlas. As a result, the money transaction could be stopped.

The victim was contacted by telephone by someone who was interested in a toy that was for sale on Marketplace for 50 euros. The fake buyer said he was disabled and couldn’t pick up the toy. The delivery therefore had to be made via a parcel service and the payment had to be made online. The buyer then sent an email containing a link with a payment request. The victim had to enter his bank details and card number, but received a message that the payment was unsuccessful.

The victim then received a second phone call, allegedly from an employee of his bank’s anti-fraud department. The person said he was cooperating with federal law enforcement. The internet criminal said the victim had been scammed. He could supposedly help him, and stop the transaction, as long as the victim stayed on the phone and performed the banking and computer transactions that he was asked to do. Among other things, the victim had to download and install a software program that would allow the bank employee to help from a distance, and actions also had to be taken with the card reader.

At that point, the victim became suspicious, disconnected the call and immediately contacted Cardstop, the police and (via the police) the bank.

Prompt reporting is very important

Thanks to the rapid declaration of the victim, a reserved amount of 90,000 euros could still be withheld. The fraud service of the banking institution was able to stop the transaction in time thanks to the intervention of PZ Vlas.

Prevention tips against internet crime:

  • never act (too) quickly
  • so never make any payment transactions immediately
  • always take the necessary time and carefully read the e-mail, text or whatsapp message you receive
  • do not click on the included link that you receive
  • banks will never just ask for your login details, not even over the phone
  • verify via another method whether the message is correct, possibly with authentication
  • never pass on codes, personal data or bank details to third parties, nor a scan of your identity card

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