As our cooperation partner Watchlist.at reports, criminals are taking over user accounts!
They write a message to their victims' contacts and pretend that they have lost their valuables and travel documents abroad.
For this reason, the recipients should send large amounts of money to the supposed friend. The transferred sum is lost because the fraudsters accept it. Internet users receive a message by email or Facebook that supposedly comes from a friend.
In it, the senders claim under a false name that they are abroad and urgently need help: [vc_message message_box_color="grey" icon_fontawesome="fa fa-info"]
Subject: Help
Hello,
I hope you received this quickly, I traveled to Limassol, Cyprus and lost my bag along with my passport and credit card.
The embassy is ready to let me fly without my passport. I just have to pay for my ticket and the hotel bills. Unfortunately I don't have any money with me, my credit card could help but it's also in my pocket. I have already contacted my bank, but they need more time to send me a new one. I really need to get the next flight. I wanted to ask you if you could lend me 2,000 euros as quickly as possible. I'll give it back to you as soon as I get there. Money through Western Union is the best option. I am waiting for your answer. Kind regards,
Maria
[/mk_info]
Is the message real?
No, the message is not real and actually comes from criminals. They have taken over the account of the supposed sender and are writing to their victim's contact list. The criminals try to get money from friends using the pretext that the alleged senders are currently abroad and have lost their valuables and documents. Anyone who responds to the message will find out that he/she should transfer money abroad. The transfer should be made with the payment service providers Western Union or MoneyGram.
Once the friends have completed the transaction, they should send the transfer code to the criminals. This means the money is lost because it goes directly to the fraudsters.
How do you recognize the fraudulent letter?
You can tell that the supposed notification from your friend seeking help is not real by calling them personally.
This shows that the information provided in the email is incorrect and that it is a fraudulent letter. It is therefore best if the data theft victim takes measures that allow him to regain exclusive access to the email account or Facebook profile. There are account recovery options for this. Victims of data theft can usually find these in the provider's help section. Another indication that the email is fake is the fact that friends would usually contact you by phone if they urgently need help and money. In addition, the message is impersonal and only addresses you with a simple “Hello”. This indirectly shows you that this is a standardized mass mailing that is sent to numerous Internet users. It doesn't mean you personally.
The Internet Watchlist recommends:
If friends contact you and demand money because they lost their travel documents and valuables abroad, ignore the letter.
It is a scam that will result in you losing money. You are not helping your friends who are supposedly in need! Reference: Watchlist Internet on Facebook
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )