Police report another wave of telephone fraud in Moldova
A fresh wave of telephone scams has cost people in Moldova more than 2 million lei, according to the General Inspectorate of Police. Officers registered one new case over the weekend, while another ten victims contacted the authorities after the fraud had already taken place.
The largest individual loss amounted to 362,754 lei. In five cases, victims personally handed cash to the fraudsters, another five made bank transfers, and one person deposited money through a payment terminal.
Particularly damaging cases involved victims being persuaded to take out loans. In at least five incidents, fraudsters convinced people to borrow money from a bank and then transfer the funds to accounts controlled by the criminals, leaving the victims without their savings and with debts to repay.
Citizens prevent 120 attempted scams
Despite the losses caused by telephone fraud in Moldova, members of the public have prevented 120 other attempted scams. Potential victims recognised the deception in time and ended the calls before transferring or handing over any money. The General Inspectorate of Police again urged people not to give money or make transfers at the request of strangers.
“If fraud is suspected, the conversation should be ended immediately and the incident reported to the police,” the authority declared.
However, similar warnings have been issued for several years, while vulnerable people, particularly pensioners, continue to lose their savings to callers posing as bank employees. The repeated cases of telephone fraud in Moldova are therefore raising questions about whether public advice alone is sufficient and what practical measures law enforcement agencies are taking to identify and stop those responsible.
