How can one be fooled, for example, by “the prime minister” who encourages investment, or “by Robert Lewandowski” who reveals how he multiplied his millions? Those who believed have lost even hundreds of thousands of złoty.
There is no bank, no weapon, no robbery. All you need for this scam is the Internet. It starts with an ad featuring a seemingly famous person. Politicians, journalists, and athletes encourage people to invest money.
– I was tempted by the face of my favorite, Mr. Kaczyński – admits Ms. Danuta Miron, a wronged pensioner. – I think, if such big shots invest, why shouldn't I invest – says Ms. Grażyna Janus, another wronged pensioner.
These “aces” are the product of artificial intelligence. Computer re-makes of real people who have never said what they said here:
Fragments of sample deepfake recordingsFragment of the program “ATTENTION!” TVN
This is the newest method of stealing money. Crimes involving the use of deep fake technology were investigated by journalists from TVN's “UWAGI!”
– A very, very, very many people do not realize that they are already being cheated. They still think that they have not lost, but they have already lost. They will find out that they are victims when they want to withdraw the money, or when they see this material – says Piotr Konieczny from Nibezpiecznik.pl.
A simple fraud, but a huge profit
The fraud mechanism is triggered by a website. – I clicked, a young lady immediately responded and said that my financial advisor would contact me – says Danuta Miron.
Over the phone, the advisor extorts small amounts from the victim, then increasingly larger ones. The victim is given access to an investment platform where they can watch their profits grow rapidly.
But this site is a fake, and instead of profit, there is loss. The scammers eventually gain access to the victim's entire computer and phone. – They took my pension and six thousand, which they did not take before. In addition, they applied for a loan – says Danuta Miron.
READ ALSO: Scammers tried to trick a retired police officer using the granddaughter method, but he failed.
This scam only appears complicated.
– These are not people who are specialists. At the moment, you don't need any special IT skills to be an internet criminal. They operate on the basis of publicly available tools, which are very often free – informs Cyprian Gutkowski, an expert in cybersecurity.
The profit of the criminals is huge. Two defrauded women lost a total of over 200 thousand złoty.
– Right now I can't sleep, I can't eat. This is one big scam where they deceive you – says Grażyna Janus.
Main image source: TVN24