The story began with an innocent acquaintance on one of the social media platforms. – A woman who introduced herself as someone seriously ill with cancer contacted a resident of Lwówek County – reports junior aspirant Olga Łukaszewicz, press officer of the District Police Headquarters in Lwówek Śląski. – The moving story about an incurable illness and the desire to donate an inheritance worth 380,000 euros to charity aroused trust and sympathy.
The scammer persuaded the victim to help transfer this “inheritance”: the victim had to cover successive costs—legal fees, administrative expenses and fees for alleged lawyers. – For many months, the woman transferred increasingly larger sums, believing that the matter was in progress. Only after losing PLN 56,000 did she realize that she had fallen victim to fraud and report the matter to the police – the spokesperson adds.
Police:
We appeal for caution in online contacts, especially when requests to transfer money arise. Scammers often use emotional stories to arouse victims’ sympathy and gain their trust. It is worth remembering that no legitimate institution requires fees to be paid in advance for the transfer of an inheritance.
And concludes:
If someone asks for money under similar circumstances, it is worth keeping a clear head and consulting relatives or reporting the suspicious situation to the appropriate authorities. Let us remember—scammers continue to modify their methods, but their goal is always the same: to extort money from naïve and trusting people.