We have repeatedly reported on FXMAG that criminals try various ways to extort money. We also described examples of investors who fell victim to fraudsters. The scale of these cases varied, but the message that emerged from them was one. It was about taking special caution, because the devil never sleeps and at any moment someone may appear who wants to deceive us. That was the case with a man from Lesser Poland who lost 100,000 PLN.
He wanted to buy shares, he lost his savings
The incident occurred in the town of Chełmek in the Oświęcim County. The victim of the fraud was a 74‑year‑old who encountered the fraudster on the Internet. According to the police, the man was browsing websites when he came across an advertisement for an investment platform. He clicked the link and then filled out the contact form that appeared on the screen, providing his contact details. A few hours later, a person posing as a financial advisor called him. The 74‑year‑old from Chełmek told him he wanted to invest in shares. The fraudster quickly gained the senior’s trust by offering his services and assured the Lesser Poland resident that the entire transaction was safe and his money would be well protected. The senior decided to transfer 100,000 PLN to the account indicated by the fraudster. It turned out to be a mistake, as one can guess, because it was a criminal waiting for his victims on the Internet.
The police have begun actions to recover the stolen money, but the fact is that this task may prove impossible. This should be a warning for everyone who thinks about investing, to use only verified websites, and preferably the services of advisors who have been known in the market for years and whose activities raise no doubts.
Police appeal for caution
You could say “A wise Polish person learns after the damage.” That is also true in this case. If the senior from Lesser Poland had started verifying the investment portal he found online earlier, he might have found information indicating that it could be a scam. That is why the services keep repeating appeals for caution, especially when we want to trust an unknown person we met through the Internet. It is also important not to transfer money to unknown people under any circumstances.
“The police advise that, while protecting savings, one should not make investment decisions based on random online ads or during a phone conversation with someone claiming to be a bank or investment firm employee” – we read in the statement from the Lesser Poland police.
The services add that the best protection against online fraudsters is knowledge of their methods and the principle of limited trust when contacting unknown people by phone.
That is why protecting your data is so important. In any situation where someone on the other end of the phone asks you to transfer money reflexively, it should trigger a “red light” warning that something might be wrong. This must happen before the transfer is made, because in such situations money is often unrecoverable. In many cases, it could be life‑saving savings. It is important that the desire to multiply them does not cause us to “lose our eyes” and fail to notice signals indicating that we could become victims of fraud. These types of mistakes can be irreversible.
See also: Poles do not invest in shares and bonds. Expert: “Education is needed for this to change”
