Be suspicious in any situation of ‘urgency’
The nine most commonly used telephone scam methods were identified by Portugal’s PSP police in a communiqué today, alerting people to frauds that are becoming increasingly commonplace.
“Nine different methods were identified, which have been the most used in carrying out this criminal practice, and which correspond to scams, solely and exclusively, carried out via telephone”, said the police.
Among the most commonly used methods is the “Hello Dad, Hello Mom” scam, when “the criminal pretends to be a family member (usually a son/ daughter), via WhatsApp message, and requests payment to fix a broken cell phone, to buy a new one or simply to pay a supposed unexpected and urgent expense”.
In the case of a false rental scam, when faced with an advertisement at a much more attractive price than is usual on the market, the victim is asked to pay a “deposit” for what is, in fact, a fictitious rental.
According to the PSP, payment via the MB Way system is also used in scams, which are normally triggered after an advertisement for the sale of an item is posted online, in which the scammer requests that payment be made via MB Way, giving instructions on how to do so himself, leading the victim to provide access codes to withdraw the amount established in the transaction from an ATM.
A job offer or work in a reputable company with an attractive salary is another scam. Scammers ask for money upfront as a form of “deposit” for various expenses.
False loans are also one of the most commonly used scams, particularly when the scammer asks for the victim’s documentation and also requests a sum of money to pay fees and complete the process.
Car buying/selling is another potential hazard: fraudsters place advertisements on online vehicle buying and selling platforms, at a much more attractive price than the usual market price, and then ask people responding for money to transport the car to them, or for other expenses. As police stress, fraudsters can clone vehicles, offering them on various internet platforms.
Another scam occurs when the criminal presents himself as an employee of an accredited institution (PSP, GNR, ASAE, PJ, AT), doing so through a telephone contact, a fake website, an email or a written message, and indicating that the victim has fines, or other outstanding issues that must be settled.
Other scams include the fake debt SMS, in which the victim has to make a payment for a service – the reference and entity are already indicated in the message – under penalty of having the service cut off if they don’t.
Then there is the fake CEO, which consists of a contact in which the scammer pretends to be a manager of a company or organisation, asking an employee of that same company or organisation to make a payment, send some type of sensitive information, or change bank details…
The PSP warns people not to provide personal data considered non-transferable and to always be suspicious of any requests that are urgent, pressuring for immediate payment/transfer.
People should avoid making any money transfers, especially to the name of someone other than the person with whom the business is being done, and be suspicious of any transaction that appears to be quite profitable and advantageous, says the police force.
“The population should not carry out any actions in applications that allow the transfer of money if they are not familiar with how they work and the procedures to be adopted, indicated the PSP, stressing that caution should be exercised in the case of an unknown number making contact, identifying as a family member or friend. If this happens, the family member/ friend should be asked questions that only the person themselves would know how to answer.
What is important is that people need to ‘think twice’. There is never any harm in double checking with a ‘real voice’ – however long it takes.
Source material: LUSA
