As reported by the Central Cybercrime Bureau:

Fake messages allegedly from RCB, social media account takeovers and fraudulent fundraisers are just some of the scams that may occur in connection with the current flooding situation. Read the recommendations prepared by the Central Cybercrime Bureau to avoid these threats.

What are the recommendations for those who want to help flood victims?

  • WARNING about fake text messages sent by scammers impersonating the RCB Alert system! These messages contain links that must not be clicked! Genuine RCB Alerts DO NOT CONTAIN LINKS!
  • To make sure that the RCB Alert you received is authentic, you can verify it through:
    • the official website of the Government Centre for Security: https://www.gov.pl/web/rcb
    • the social media profiles of the Government Centre for Security.

The Bureau: – If you receive a message that looks like an RCB Alert but contains a link or raises doubts, please do not click the link or reply to the message.

Fake fundraisers

CBZC:

In connection with reports of fake fundraisers claiming to help flood victims, we urge you to exercise particular caution. Scammers are increasingly exploiting dramatic events to extort money under the guise of charitable activities.

What to do to avoid being scammed:

  • support only official fundraisers organized by known and trusted organizations;
  • verify the websites and social media profiles where appeals for help are published (make sure the organizers provide contact details, such as a telephone number or email address);
  • beware of suspicious emails, text messages or social media communications.

Remember!!! Your help is extremely valuable, but it is worth making sure that it reaches those in need rather than scammers. If you have doubts about the credibility of a fundraiser, contact its organizers directly.

Social media account takeovers

Exploiting the human tragedy caused by the flooding situation, scammers are attempting to take over social media accounts. The Bureau:

To do this, they prepare a sensational headline with a photo, for example, of a child or an animal in danger. The post includes a link that users are told to click and use to log in by providing sensitive information. Entering this data on the fake website results in our login credentials being taken over.

Remember! If you are already logged in to your account, there is no need to log in again!

Do not provide your username and password. Do not panic. Simply close the suspicious website. You can also report it here: https://incydent.cert.pl/.