The Public Security Police (PSP) alerts the population to the nine most used methods of telephone scams, according to a statement.
According to PSP “nine different methods were identified, which have been the most used in carrying out this criminal practice, and which correspond to scams, solely and exclusively, carried out via telephone”.
1. “Hello dad / Hello mom” scam – by posing as a relative (usually a child), via WhatsApp message, they request payment to repair a broken cell phone, to buy a new one or simply to pay a supposed unexpected and urgent expense.
2.False lease – faced with a rental advertisement, at a much more attractive price than usual in the market, the victim is asked to pay the “down payment” for the fictitious rent.
3.Payment by MB Way – are normally triggered following an online advertisement for the sale of an item, in which the scammer requests that payment be made by MB Way, giving instructions to do so himself, leading the victim to provide him with access codes to the withdrawal from an ATM of the amount established in the business.
4.Job/Job Offer – a job is offered with an attractive salary or in a reputable company, and the scam can occur in the following ways:
- a. Job offer – in which the fraudster announces the supposed job, usually abroad or far from home, and asks the victim to pay procedural expenses;
- b. Advertisement from the victim offering to provide services – in which the swindler offers the victim a job offer, usually far from home, arranging accommodation for them and asking for a “down payment”;
- c. Online job offer (Pig Butchering) – in which the scammer advertises the supposed job entirely online (e.g.: enjoying videos on the YouTube app), paying the victim for the tasks completed, reaching a stage where he asks the victim to pay an amount for the task that will be checked , with the promise that the value that will be returned to you will be much greater.
5. Fake loan – a credit company is advertised where a telephone contact and/or email address is indicated. In the first contact, the scammer requests documentation from the applicant (victim) and then claims that the applicant will have to pay some fees to complete the process, such as insurance, form payments, stamp duty, etc., stating that The loan amount deposit will take a few days to become available in your account.
6. Buying and selling vehicles – an advertisement is strategically placed by the fraudster on online platforms for buying and selling vehicles, at a much more attractive price than usual on the market, and, when the victim responds to this advertisement, the fraud can occur in the following ways:
- the. Fake carrier – the swindler requests payment from the victim, to cover transport costs for the vehicle or to resolve customs issues;
- b. Business through intermediary – the fraudster creates several accounts on the various online platforms for buying and selling vehicles, placing cloned advertisements for attractive vehicles that he does not own, at a value clearly lower than that requested by the legitimate owner.
7. Fake employee – the scammer presents himself as an employee of an accredited institution, doing so through telephone contact, a fake website, email or written message, and the scam, through a telephone call, can occur in the following ways:
- the. Fake Police – the fraudster pretends to be an agent of the authority (PSP, GNR, PJ, AT), making the victim believe that he has outstanding fines or that he is linked to any illegal activity, immediately proposing to archive or suspend the processes after the payment of a certain monetary amount;
- b. Fake Veterinarian – the fraudster identifies himself as a municipal veterinarian to a private individual who posted the disappearance of an animal on social media, making the victim believe that the animal was run over and that he was assisted by the veterinarian, demanding payment for that service so that the victim can recover the animal;
- w. Fake ASAE Inspector – the fraudster contacts an establishment, identifying himself as an ASAE Inspector and warns the injured party that their establishment will be the target of an inspection, convincing them of the existence of an irregularity, offering them to immediately cancel the inspection upon payment of certain monetary amount;
- d. Fake Banking – by cloning the general contact of the banking institution (Spoofing), the scammer makes the victim believe that their bank account is being used in a suspicious way, requiring authorization from the customer to cancel this procedure, leading the victim to access a link to this end;
- and. Fake Microsoft Employee – the scammer contacts the victim and alerts them that they have been the target of a computer attack by hackers or a virus, offering to help resolve the situation, asking the victim to install supposed remote assistance software, giving allowing the scammer to use and access your computer. The victim is then asked to pay for the service, prompting them to enter their home banking access credentials.
- f. Fake Telephone Operator Employee – the swindler contacts the victim, informing that he has an amount owed or in credit, or offering a promotion for a top-of-the-line cell phone at a low cost, leading the victim, in one situation or another, to make a bank transfer to acquire the equipment.
8. Fake debt SMS – an SMS is sent to the victim claiming that they have an active debt for some service, and must make payment under penalty of the service being cut off, providing the payment details (entity and reference) in the message itself.
9. Fake CEO – CEO Fraud – consists of a contact in which the scammer pretends to be someone responsible for a company or organization, asking an employee of that same company or organization to make a payment, send some type of sensitive information, or change bank details.
The PSP alerts the population to do not provide personal data considered non-transferable andAlways be suspicious of any urgent requests, pressing for immediate payment/transfer.
People should avoid making any monetary transfer, especially in the name of someone other than the one with whom the business is being established, and be suspicious of any apparently very profitable and advantageous transaction, according to the PSP.
The population should not carry out any action on applications that allow the transfer of money if they are not familiar with its operation and the procedures to be adopted, indicated the PSP, highlighting that care must be taken in the case of an unknown number to be contacted, identifying themselves as a family member or friend, and asking them questions that only they would know how to answer.
