Bolesławiec police were contacted by a county resident who fell victim to a scam through social media. The scammer took over an account belonging to the man’s friend and then began sending messages from it asking for help paying for an order.
The message looked like an ordinary request from someone he knew. The victim believed he was genuinely communicating with his friend and shared the mobile payment codes he received twice.
As a result, he lost nearly PLN 3,000.
The scammer did not intend to stop there. After some time, he sent another message asking the victim to generate another code. This time, the man became suspicious and decided to verify who he was really speaking to.
He contacted his friend directly. It was then confirmed that the social media account had been taken over, and that the messages asking for money and codes had been sent by someone impersonating the account owner.
Police warn about messages from friends
Police urge people to exercise particular caution when using messaging apps and social media. The fact that a message comes from a friend’s account does not mean that it was actually sent by that person.
A hijacked account may look exactly as it did before. The scammer then has access to the contact list and can send messages by exploiting other people’s trust.
If a friend asks for money, a payment code or a bank transfer, it is advisable to contact them first in another way—for example, by phone—and confirm that they really sent the request.
Police also remind people not to share payment codes with anyone or make transactions under time pressure.
In the case of similar messages, it is important to exercise particular caution. Taking a moment to verify the request can prevent the loss of money.