Recently, a resident of Legnica County fell victim to an online scam. The woman met a man online who claimed to be an American soldier serving on a mission in Syria.
For about a month, they exchanged various messages and emails. The “American soldier” wrote in Polish, sent the woman photos of himself, talked about his family and the future, and said that he wanted to move to Poland soon. He was also interested in the woman’s personal life.
The man gained the senior woman’s considerable trust. One day, he sent her a message saying that he had sent a package from Syria to her home containing his personal belongings, documents and money. To make his story seem credible, he sent the victim a photo of the package and informed her that there might be some small local fees that she would have to pay. The woman agreed; she was supposed to store the package until the quasi-soldier arrived in Poland.
A few days later, the senior woman received an email from a courier company saying that the package had been detained in Turkey and that she had to pay EUR 5,889, or approximately PLN 26,000, for it to be delivered. The alleged soldier begged the woman for help. She agreed and transferred approximately PLN 26,000 in two installments.
That was not the end of it. She then received another email saying that she had to pay an additional EUR 12,000. Concerned about her “friend,” the woman transferred another PLN 10,000.
The fake American continued urging the woman to transfer the remaining amount. However, she could not withstand the pressure and told her husband about the entire incident. He made her realize that she had most likely fallen victim to a fraudster.
The perpetrator may face up to eight years in prison. Police appeal: let’s not get defrauded. Inform the officers about suspicious situations of this kind.