For some time, the police have been receiving reports of “BLIK” fraud. This time, a resident of Karkonosze County fell victim to fraud. And—as the lwowecki.info service unofficially established—a priest.

The incident occurred on January 25. The man believed a story told by a fake police officer. The latter, under the pretext of a police operation intended to prevent funds from being withdrawn from the victim’s account, obtained BLIK codes from the clergyman and used them to withdraw more than PLN 10,000.

“In this case, the fraudster also asked the man to dial the emergency number so that he could make sure he was speaking to an officer, but without ending the ongoing call,” explains Sub-Inspector Edyta Bagrowska, press officer of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Jelenia Góra.

She adds:

It should be remembered that if the victim dials one of the emergency numbers during the call, they will not actually be connected to the police, but will continue speaking to the fraudster, who meanwhile hands the phone to a second criminal impersonating the police duty officer.

Let us remember that in order to connect with genuine officers, the previous call must be ended. However, victims are often extremely distressed by the situation and do not pay attention to when or how they dial the emergency number. This is precisely what the fraudsters count on.

Police officers warn:

Remember! Fraudsters exploit trust in state institutions by posing as their employees or officers. They use various methods to achieve their goal. They not only call, but also send text messages with links to suspicious websites.

How can you avoid being defrauded?

  • In everyday life, let us apply the principle of limited trust toward anyone we do not know, both those who call us and those who knock on our doors.
  • Let us carefully check whether they really represent the institution whose employees they claim to be. To do this, we can call the institution and explain the entire situation.
  • If someone calls our number claiming, for example, to be a police officer and asking about money or valuables, END THE CALL! Only then should you call 112 and provide information about the suspicious call.