- Fraud in messenger messages: thousands of euros in damages
Despite police warnings, scammers continue to succeed using messenger messages, claiming a child has a new phone number and needs money. A man from Eisleben (Mansfeld-Südharz) fell victim to this scam on Friday evening, as reported by the Halle police.
He received a message stating that his child had a new number and was soon asked to make a transfer. He ended up sending a four-digit sum to a stranger's account. The following day, the fraud was reported.
Winning notification turns out to be a nasty surprise
The Dessau-Roßlau police station also reported a case, albeit with a slightly different twist. A 46-year-old woman reported that she had been scammed through a hacked messenger account of a friend. Her phone number was requested for participation in a lottery, followed by a winning confirmation of 4,050 euros to be paid out in several transfers.
However, she discovered that money had been withdrawn from her account. She then contacted her friend, who informed her about the hacked account. The police are now investigating.
According to the police, scammers exploit the trust of their victims, and communication via messenger services like WhatsApp feels very private. They use known phone numbers. Scammers claim to be relatives who have lost their phone. Anyone receiving such messages should block the number, report the incident to the police, and delete the chat and the scammer's number. Suspicion is warranted when asked to make transfers via messenger.
Despite the police warnings, many individuals remain vulnerable to scams, as demonstrated by the woman who was tricked into making several transfers, believing she was claiming a lottery win. Unfortunately, she discovered that money had been taken from her account.
In another instance, a man transferred a four-digit sum to a stranger's account after falling for a scam that claimed his child needed funds due to a new phone number. He realized the fraud upon reporting it the following day.
