In recent days alone, fraudsters posing as police officers have made several attempts to extort money from elderly people in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Such attempts took place, among other locations, in Lubin, where a man called an 83-year-old woman and said that he was a police officer from the local unit. He informed her that he was investigating a case involving hackers breaking into bank accounts. He ordered the woman to withdraw PLN 20,000 from the bank and then deposit the money into an account he provided. He explained that this would help the elderly woman avoid theft.
The frightened woman went to her bank. When she told an employee of the institution that she wanted to withdraw such a large amount, he immediately realized that the 83-year-old had narrowly avoided falling victim to a cunning criminal. Thanks to the bank employee’s proper response, the woman did not lose her savings.
The situation described above could happen to our relatives or neighbors. Bolesławiec police officers urge people not to give money to anyone who claims by telephone to be a family member, police officer or institution employee and asks them to transfer money through intermediaries.
“We should exercise caution and limited trust toward strangers. Let us also remember not to provide any information by telephone concerning personal details, bank account numbers or passwords. We should not tell strangers about our life plans or family members,” advise Bolesławiec police officers.
They add: “Inform the police immediately about every attempt to extort money by calling the emergency numbers 997 or 112. Do not be afraid that the alarm may turn out to be false. Let us work together to protect our safety!”