In recent days, officers from the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters received reports of scams targeting people selling various items through a classified-advertisement website. KPP:
A man listed children's toys on an online portal. When an alleged buyer contacted him, the reporting party trusted the authenticity of the form and filled in his payment card details, which the scammer used to electronically transfer nearly PLN 4,000.
How do scammers operate?
Police: Criminals contact the seller via an online mobile messenger, expressing an interest in making a purchase. They then send a payment form deceptively resembling the form used by the platform where the property is listed for sale.
The officers add:
By obtaining the victim's details in this way, scammers use them very quickly to carry out transactions to the seller's detriment. In recent days, a resident of Bolesławiec County lost nearly PLN 4,000.
What should you remember to avoid falling victim to a scammer?
Police officers: Each time, we should carefully verify the websites we use. We should not click on links received from unknown people. Under no circumstances should we share our internet banking login and password or payment card details.
Let us recall: fraud is punishable by six months to as many as eight years in prison.