“This is a call from Interpol. We inform you that your identity card number has been misused. For more information, please press the 1 key.” It is with this message, in English and dictated by a robotic voice, that begins a scam that has lost millions of euros to individuals in Germany, reports the local press. Indeed, crooks pretend to be investigators from the famous European police agency Europol to extract large sums from people who actually press the requested button. The modus operandi is described by the site WA, which tells the case of a woman victim of this scam.
After picking up her phone, this resident of Iserlohn (North Rhine-Westphalia, West German Land), is redirected to a so-called Europol agent who explains to her that her phone number identity has been used to commit a crime and that immediate cooperation is required. In the event of refusal, it would expose itself to “significant consequences” up to and including a prison sentence.
Cartes Google Play
The fake agent then asks him to secure the assets in his account by buying Google Play cards at a discount store. The 31-year-old woman complies, reaching her daily limit with her bank card, then communicates the numbers of the Google cards to her interlocutor, who vanishes with the sums collected. The news site also reports a case where the scammers request a large transfer on a money transfer platform in order to abandon the procedure. Several million euros have thus been collected by these meticulous scammers to the point of ensuring that a number actually linked to Europol is displayed on the victims’ telephones.
Faced with the wave of complaints, the authorities, quoted by the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, give advice on how not to fall into the trap. Do not let yourself be drawn into the conversation, nor be put under pressure, and do not press the key requested by the recorded message, but hang up immediately. Also, never provide your personal data or make a payment of any amount. Finally, it is recommended that victims file a complaint if they have suffered financial damage.