There seems to be new scams on social networks almost every day. A new perfidious scam is currently circulating on Facebook to extract money from the unsuspecting victims. A 71-year-old from near Hanover lost more than 2,200 euros to con artists posing as prominent politicians.
How did the con artists work?
In the case of the 71-year-old, one of the criminals posed as the well-known politician Franz Müntefering. Last fall, the woman received a friend request on Facebook from a profile that appeared to be the politician. The unsuspecting elderly woman was promised financial help in the form of a family allowance for low-income seniors by the supposed celebrity. There was a sum of 30,000 euros in the room. Since the 71-year-old only receives a small disability pension, she placed her trust in the scammer. To make the whole thing even more credible, the alleged Franz Müntefering allegedly referred the woman to Pierre-Luc Vogel, who was President of the Council of Notaries of the European Union in 2019. During a WhatsApp chat with the scammer, the elderly woman was then asked to provide further information about her bank details, her insurance and her living situation, among other things. Ultimately, the supposed family allowance was approved by the wrong notary.
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Fraudsters ask elderly woman to pay money
After Pierre-Luc Vogel’s apparent approval of the aid, the 71-year-old was asked to transfer money as an activation fee. The elderly woman complied with this request three times, transferring a total of 2,213 euros to the scammers. This was done in good faith that he would then receive the sum of 30,000 euros. The fraudsters were particularly perfidious and sent the woman a fake photo that was supposed to prove the alleged transfer of the sum. However, after the money did not reach the victim’s account, she realized that she had been taken in by a scam and contacted the police to file a complaint. So far there has been no concrete suspicion of the scammers – but the elderly woman was very upset by the scam: “I’ve always been honest. That really hurts me a lot.” However, the scam is not completely new. A few years ago, criminals on Facebook repeatedly pretended to be various celebrities and asked for donations, for example.
How can consumers protect themselves from such scams?
Protecting yourself completely from scams on the Internet is not that easy, as the perpetrators are always thinking of new and ever more tricky ways of proceeding.
“The manifestations of forms of fraud on the Internet are diverse and most perpetrators act extremely professionally. This often makes it difficult for users to detect fraud at an early stage,” says Dr. Stefanie Hinz.
As a general rule, consumers should never give out personal information to anyone on the internet. If unknown numbers or strangers call, you should always be suspicious. “Make sure who is at your digital front door before you disclose personal information or even transfer money,” says Hinz. On the website of Police crime prevention are further behavior tips to be found to protect yourself from scams on the Internet.
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