Recently, dozens of Romanians complained that they were called by fake ASF employees with the aim of so-called “investments” or the return of already “invested” and lost sums. “An amount of approximately 10,000 euros was stolen from a consumer’s bank account after he provided personal details to a person who was recommended to represent ASF,” authorities told HotNews.ro on Monday.

The Financial Conduct Authority (ASF) on Monday warned against under any circumstances responding to telephone offers for investments or fund transfers from certain people claiming to be ASF and using a program that fraudulently generates calls that identify themselves as the Authority. TelVerde number 0800 825 627.

• “Several attempts at voice phishing (vishing) on ​​behalf of the Financial Conduct Authority have recently been reported, and the people making these types of ‘offers’ have received significant sums of money,” the ASF said in a statement.

A Romanian was left without 10,000 euros in his account, he was cheated by a so-called ASF employee

At the request of HotNews.ro, the ASF gave details of what the defrauded consumers complained about and the amounts they lost.

• “A sum of about 10,000 euros was stolen from a consumer’s bank account after he provided personal data to a person recommended to represent the ASF. The victim consumer reported the fraud to the Financial Inspectorate in January of this year.
• The consumer transferred 950 lei to a so-called broker who claimed to represent ASF, so that the amount would be invested in the capital market. The supposed broker guaranteed the consumer a profit and even offered a loan for even more profit. When the aggrieved party demanded a refund of the transferred amount, it was required to pay a tax (10%) on the amounts in the fictitious account, namely $1,337 (the amount that would have been reached after the alleged placement in the financial instruments),” ASF says.

What exactly were people complaining about?

Consumers complained that they were called for the purpose of so-called “investments” or to return already “invested” and lost sums, according to ASF.

Several methods of deception have been reported to be used by fraudsters, such as:

• “Access to pop-up ads (click on the link) in the online environment, which offered the possibility of obtaining guaranteed profits by trading shares of various companies through companies not authorized by the ASF.
• People have reported that they initially traded smaller amounts of money with some profit. Later, confident of the prospect of more money, they gave the fraudsters access to their personal devices by agreeing to install a computer application they specified, giving them, in effect, the ability to personally control all applications on the device, including any financial funds held by consumers in personal accounts.
• In other cases, people who initially lost a sum of money were approached by so-called “FSA officers” who offered to help them recover the lost sums, demanding a refund or unlocking of other additional sums or so-called commissions. initial funds or the so-called lost sums,” ASF representatives stated.

Dozens of people have reported this type of scam. Some lost all their savings

The authorities also released details of how many phishing attempts they have received recently.

• “We are talking about dozens of people who have reported this type of fraud, starting in the second half of 2023 and continuing into 2024. However, it is important to communicate the seriousness of these facts that affect social and moral norms. , this is due to the fact that fraudsters mainly target a target audience consisting of a category of vulnerable people, older or without financial knowledge, relevant to the situation in which they were fraudulently involved.
• We emphasize the importance of the fact that these defrauded people sought support from ASF, signaling the extreme personal situations caused not only by the financial losses suffered (for example, the loss of all savings), but also by the fear that these individuals instill in the victims in trying to obtain from of these additional amounts,” ASF representatives informed HotNews.ro.

Last summer, ASF also warned that people claiming to be representatives of the authorities have recently appeared in the public space and contacted citizens by e-mail or phone, offering investment recommendations and asking for payment of sums of money.

What is phishing and what does the Romanian police recommend?

Vishing (voice phishing) is a method of deception, with the help of which criminals call and conduct phone conversations with victims and pretend to be representatives of private entities. Using sophisticated manipulation tactics, they obtain personal data or financial information from victims, Romanian police recently warned.

How to act in such situations:

• Correctly identify such a fake phone call! Do not agree to do what you are told on the phone! Do not enter another number or do any other steps the phone prompts!
• Do not make payments to the proposed accounts over the phone and do not provide personal and bank details!
• Do not follow any access links provided by unknown persons during or after completing vishing telephone conversations, and do not enter certain number sequences provided by the perpetrators during the conversations on your mobile phone.
• If you have been harmed, call the police on 112 or go to the nearest police station.

The police advises to be careful in disclosing the following information:

• 1. Personal data: name, surname, CNP, address, phone number, date of birth and other personal data. This information can be used to “hijack” your identity or access other accounts or services.
• 2. Bank account information and other financial data: With vishing, attackers can obtain bank account numbers, credit card numbers, online banking login details and other details related to the victim’s accounts and financial transactions, information that they can be used to commit fraudulent activities. transactions or illegal access to victims’ funds.

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