A conference was held at the Poczta Polska branch at 61 Mickiewicza Street in Toruń, where Deputy Minister of the Interior Grzegorz Karpiński launched a joint program of MSW, Poczta Polska and the police against fraudsters. The meeting was also attended by the head of the Prevention Department of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Bydgoszcz, junior inspector Jarosław Świerczyński, and Katarzyna Wienicka, director of the Bydgoszcz Poczta Polska Network Region.
The program, aptly titled “Don’t be fooled by the ‘grandchild’ and ‘police officer’ scams,” is aimed at people who receive a call at home from fraudsters posing as a family member or impersonating a member of a profession enjoying public trust: a police officer, an officer of CBŚP (the Central Police Investigation Bureau), a prosecutor, judge, attorney, and so on. Poczta Polska employees are now joining the fight against criminals and will hand out leaflets to customers warning them about methods used by fraudsters. In addition, all post offices will display posters describing the social-engineering techniques used by fraudsters, which often lead to the loss of a person’s entire life savings.
The police warn against so-called grandchild scams. Preventive campaigns are producing results. Officers are receiving more and more reports from elderly people who remained vigilant and were not robbed. However, the number of reports concerning a new theft method—the “police officer” scam—is troubling. The campaign organizers therefore appeal for caution!
More and more people are aware of how fraudsters operate and how to avoid becoming their victims. Criminals, however, are not falling behind and are modifying their methods. Recently, a frequently used method has been the so-called police officer or Central Police Investigation Bureau officer—CBŚP scam. The perpetrators exploit the public’s trust in police officers and extort money from elderly people.
How do the perpetrators operate?
The perpetrators’ modus operandi is similar. First, they make a call, posing as a family member, most often a grandchild. They explain the altered voice by claiming to be ill or make an elderly person feel guilty for not recognizing them.
They ask to borrow a large sum of money. Usually, the money is supposedly needed to cover damages after a road accident, pay for an important operation, buy a car, or take advantage of a holiday at a promotional price.
Fraudsters are ruthless—they skillfully manipulate the conversation in order to obtain as much information as possible and exploit elderly people.
Shortly after the first conversation ends, another call comes to the victim—from someone posing as a CBŚP or police officer. Generally, the criminal tells the person answering that they are a potential fraud victim. They say that the previous phone call was an attempt to extort money. They inform the victim that the fraudster has been located. They insist that the victim withdraw a specified sum of money from the bank and hand it to a designated person, or ask them to make a bank transfer to a specified account number.
The “fake officer” often gives a made-up surname and even a badge number. They ask the victim not to end the phone call and to dial the police number. Then another voice on the line convinces the victim that they are taking part in an operation to catch the fraudster.
Fraudsters put their victims under time pressure. They do not give them a moment to think or verify the caller’s information. They convince elderly people that their money will help catch criminals. They say that cash held in the account is not safe and that the fraudster has easy access to it. Criminals posing as officers threaten legal consequences if the person they are speaking to does not cooperate.
Immediately after the money is handed over, contact is cut off and the criminals disappear with all the victim’s savings.
How can you avoid becoming a fraud victim?
Above all, remain cautious—if someone calls us pretending to be a family member and asks for money, let us not take any hasty action. Do not tell anyone over the phone how much money we have at home or keep in our account. Do not withdraw all our savings from the bank.
Let us call a family member and ask whether the person who requested our help really needs it. Remember that no one will hold it against us for acting sensibly. Let us not give in to the time pressure imposed by fraudsters.
In particular, remember that police officers NEVER inform people by phone about cases they are conducting! They also never ask anyone to hand over cash!
If someone tries to defraud us by posing as a police officer over the phone, let us end the call! Do not engage in conversation with the fraudster. If we do not know how to react, tell someone close to us about the suspicious call.
The campaign organizers appeal especially to young people: tell our parents and grandparents that there are people who may try to exploit their kindness. Tell them how to behave if someone calls asking to borrow a large amount of money. Draw the attention of elderly people we know who live alone to the threat.
We sometimes meet family members with whom we have no daily contact. Let us use the opportunity to warn our loved ones about these threats. Ordinary caution can protect them from losing savings accumulated over many years.
KWP w Bydgoszczy/mw/ii