The Neubrandenburg police report a current case in which a woman was taken for 40,000 euros – it all started with an SMS and a link.
The police headquarters in Neubrandenburg recently reported a rather strange case of fraud, which is said to have cost a woman 40,000 euros. According to the police report, it all started with a text message. Previously, a couple had advertised various goods on Ebay classifieds, whereupon a person came forward expressing interest in an item.
The alleged buyer is said to have insisted on wanting to use the “secure payment” payment method from classifieds. For further communication, the mobile phone numbers were exchanged, the injured party told the police.
An SMS with a link from “Ebay classifieds”
The next day, the seller received an SMS from “EbayKA”. It is said to have contained a link that pretended to want to establish a connection between the woman’s account and eBay classifieds for successful processing. According to police, the woman clicked the link without further hesitation. The report omits what exactly was behind it. However, it was by no means an official request from Ebay classifieds – because there are no such SMS.
Shortly thereafter, the injured party is said to have been startled by messages from her bank. It was said that suspicious account movements had been detected. At the same time, the bank is said to have asked for the release of a transfer, which the account owner denied. A call to the bank the following day was unsuccessful, the woman was put off and told that such error messages were more common due to software errors.
Fake bankers with bad intentions
A little later, a man called the victim – with the number of the bank. He introduced himself as the money house’s IT expert and warned of a Trojan on the seller’s cell phone. With the knowledge of every account movement in the last few days, the man was able to win the woman’s trust. The police left open where he got this information from.
As a solution to the chaos in the woman’s account, he sent a transfer order that, according to the alleged perpetrator, should reverse all incorrect bookings. She confirmed – and lost.
The Neubrandenburg police write that the woman authorized four transfers, which transferred a total of 40,000 euros from the victim’s account to four different accounts. When the woman realized the damage, she contacted the police.
Kripo determined – warning of SMS and Whatsapp messages remains unchanged
The Kripo Neubrandenburg is currently investigating. The officials were currently unable to give the star any further information on the exact causes of the case, the course of events and the content behind the link, which the police describe as a “trap”.
The warning always remains the same, not to agree to any communication apart from Ebay classifieds – apart from telephone arrangements about a meeting point if you want to pick up or hand over goods personally.
In particular, the payment function “Pay securely” is designed in such a way that the entire process is handled within the platform. All information, payment protocols and shipping details remain in the messages from Ebay classifieds, SMS or e-mails with links are not sent, nor is the question of credit card details.
In general, you should never click on links in messages from unknown people. Especially when it comes to financial transactions such as private sales. If it does happen and you suspect fraud, contact the bank blocking hotline (116116) as soon as possible and have your credit card deactivated. In the event of suspicious account transactions, you should also consult the police and, if necessary, report them.
