A resident of the Podlaskie Voivodeship was convinced that he was multiplying his savings through the investment platform. The 75-year-old gave scammers remote access to his own account, lost money, apartment and car, police say. A total of PLN 350,000. Recently, another inhabitant of the region lost PLN 700,000 in a similar way.
According to the Podlasie police, a 75-year-old living in the vicinity of Siemiatycze became interested in a website in March that was supposed to enable him to invest in the stock market. He called the number listed on it. A man who introduced himself as a stock market analyst with an Eastern accent was explaining to the 75-year-old what investing would be all about. The alleged analyst also instructed him to install remote control software on his computer. Senior agreed that all operations should be conducted in this way.
First, he invested PLN 50,000, counting on profits, he took out loans
According to the press team of the Podlasie police on Thursday, the man initially invested 50,000. zloty. Counting on greater profits, he took out several more loans for nearly PLN 70,000. zloty. He also borrowed money from his family. When, as the scammer informed him, he already had over 250,000 in his investment account. PLN, some of the money the 75-year-old wanted to transfer to a bank account. Then he heard that he had to pay income tax.
He sold his flat to pay off his loans
The alleged analyst, with his consent, transferred almost 50,000. PLN from the 75-year-old’s account to another account, which was supposed to be a tax office account. However, the would-be investor did not get a return on his investment. To repay the loans, he sold the flat.
When the money from the sale of the premises appeared on his account, another one, an alleged stock market analyst, contacted him, urging him not to withdraw the money because it could be blocked by the bank. According to the police, at that time the criminals themselves withdrew 150,000 from the senior account. zlotys, convincing that this is another investment on the platform. When in July the scammers informed the 75-year-old that he had a profit from the investment of nearly half a million zlotys, he demanded payment of the money.
Read also: They promised “above average profits”. 372 people lost over PLN 20 million on the financial pyramid
He gave the scammers his bank account number, then sold the car
He gave the scammers a bank account number to which they were supposed to transfer funds, but in response he received information that it was incorrect and the money went to a transport company in Austria. He had to pay more than 50,000. to get the money back.
“The desperate man sold his car and paid the sum. When he finally did not get his money back, he realized that he had fallen victim to scammers. In total, he lost nearly PLN 350,000,” the Podlasie police said.
The 43-year-old lost PLN 700,000
In the same way – twice as much – lost a 43-year-old resident of the commune of Michałowo near Białystok. He was also convinced that he was investing his money in cryptocurrencies through an investment platform. It gave scammers access to the account via software like Any Desk. He also took out loans, which – after investing – were supposed to give him a large profit. He ended up losing 700,000. zloty.
Read also: Over 200 people fell for the financial pyramid. They didn’t even know what they were “investing” in
The police remind you to apply the principle of limited trust both in the real world and on the Internet. Do not share your bank account login details with anyone. It also reminds the methods of fraudsters who, among others, refer to fake websites, phishing bank account details or encouraging the installation of applications that allow such illegal access.
Main photo source: Shutterstock