Police are getting real with con artist 'counterparts,' strongly reiterating their warning to the public on laboriously prepared and executed cons by fake officers to defraud people of critical personal data and mostly bank accounts, as the phenomenon has recently resurfaced with a number of incidents across the country.
The perpetrators scam individuals over the phone or through videocalls on several applications, appearing as uniformed officers, presenting fake IDs and attempting to convince citizens on the authenticity of their claim to information, such as passport and identity card numbers, residence permits for third country nationals and credit card details.
Authorities are calling on citizens not to respond to such videocalls and under no circumstances disclose personal data. In case they have already been scammed, they should take immediate action by informing their bank so any theft can be prevented.
Officers make clear that police never communicates with citizens in such a manner.