"This call is from Europol": how to react correctly to the call
Created: 07/07/2022, 14:38
By: Simon Stock
Hello, this is Europol: The call from supposed investigators has already reached many people in Germany.
There are scammers behind it.
How to react correctly.
Hamm - The inventiveness of fraudsters is limitless.
Criminals are currently posing as international investigators from Europol or Interpol.
Unsuspecting victims who give in under pressure from the telephone thieves often lose thousands of euros as a result of this Europol fake.
authority | Europol |
Seat | The Hague (Netherlands) |
founding | October 1, 1998 |
Europol scam on the phone: How to properly respond to the strange call
Scenes like this are currently taking place in many households in Germany and elsewhere: The telephone is ringing.
After taking off, a computer voice can be heard: "This call is from Europol.
We would like to inform you that your identity card number is in misuse.
For more information please press 1.” Anyone who then presses the number key on their phone has already taken a step towards the scammers, as wa.de reports.
This was the case with a woman from Iserlohn (NRW) who lost a large sum of money to the Europol scammers.
She was forwarded to an alleged Europol officer who, in English with an Indian accent, made further statements about the alleged misuse of identity.
Allegedly, the "ID" of the person called was used for a crime, which is why immediate cooperation with Europol, i.e. the caller, is mandatory.
Otherwise there was a risk of “considerable consequences” up to and including imprisonment.
The 31-year-old was later instructed to secure the assets in her account by buying Google Play cards at a discount store.
She did this - and also in other shops, until the daily limit of her bank card was reached.
She then passed on the voucher card numbers over the phone.
The woman from Iserlohn also gave her ID card number.
In the end she had lost a lot of money.
Europol call: fraudsters used technology trick
In another case, the fraudsters demanded that the four-digit sum required to stop the procedure be transferred via the British money transfer service provider Wise.
The account opening at Wise was accompanied as a service by the alleged Europol employee on the phone.
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Europol is not an invention, but a real European police agency based in The Hague (Netherlands).
Mies: The alleged call number matched a real telephone number from Europol.
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the perpetrators use a special technical procedure, which is why their victims are shown a telephone number that actually belongs to Europol or a German police station.
Europol call: How to react correctly to the attempted fraud
Police, BKA and consumer advocates urgently warn against the Europol scammers.
If a call comes from Europol or Interpol, it is almost certainly an attempt at fraud.
Experts therefore advise:
Do not allow yourself to be drawn into a conversation or pressured.
Just hang up and don't press any key on your phone, even when prompted by a recorded message.
Never give out personal information or information about your financial circumstances.
Never give money to strangers.
If you receive such a call, inform your local police station.
If you have actually received financial damage, please report it immediately.
