Police officers from Bolesławiec are investigating the circumstances of a scam in which a resident of our county lost nearly PLN 160,000. Posing as bank employees, the criminals misled the victim and gradually took control of her finances.
How do the criminals operate?
A person claiming to be a bank employee called the senior woman, informing her about alleged attempts to break into her account. Under the false pretext that it was necessary to “secure the funds,” the woman was persuaded to install a remote desktop application on her phone. This enabled the criminals to gain full access to the device and login details.
During subsequent calls, the victim was manipulated into making a transfer—it was presented as part of an account protection procedure. The senior woman was then instructed to hand her payment card to a “courier,” supposedly so that it could be blocked. Believing that she was cooperating with genuine bank employees, the senior woman handed the card to a stranger.
Once the card reached the scammers, it was used to make nearly 40 cash withdrawals from various ATMs over the course of several days. The victim realized only later that she had fallen victim to a crime.
The Police remind and appeal:
- bank employees never ask you to install a remote desktop application,
- they do not ask you to make “security” transfers,
- they do not send couriers to collect cards, phones or documents,
- they do not ask for login details, PIN numbers or authorization codes.
Police officers:
In the event of any suspicion, immediately end the conversation and contact your bank using the official helpline number. Every attempted scam should be reported to the Police without delay.