Prosecutor names dirty methods of scammers: asks to apply even after losing the smallest sum

Kretingiškis RK, while serving a prison sentence in the Marijampolated penitentiary, deceived at least 10 people, giving between 200 and 700 euros each. He placed advertisements about cars for sale, apartments for rent, and with the help of strangers he chose “down payments”, usually through Perlo terminals.

Last fall, he confessed in court, stating that he had used “maybe five phones”, that he changed frequently, even more mobile numbers, and that he had used at least 5 other people to transfer money. He promised to reimburse all claims, he was very sorry and that was an extenuating circumstance. The prison sentence was extended to two years and eight months.

This is just one example: similar stories, according to prosecutor S. Genio, are much more common than they seem. It is not even clear how many victims there might actually be, as there are many more remittances in the bank accounts of the captured scammers; not all of them become crimes.

If residents reported all fraud, even a low-value one, it would be easier to identify the scammers who commit it and retrain their crimes.

“This problem is huge in Lithuania, probably costing tens of millions of euros. If the public knew the methods and scale of the scams, there could be fewer unfortunate victims,” ​​says S. Genys.

Rampant portals

Although there are many forms of fraud on the Internet, such as financial pyramids, fraudulent investments, etc., the prosecutor points out that very often victims are hit in the simplest way: buying and selling advertisements on portals.

“I have maybe thirty pretrial investigations, and the basis is publicity. But not only that, and the phone scammers are coming back,” says S. Genys.

He points out that the simplest fraud methods – placing fake ads and searching for “victims” – still attract large numbers of victims.

“Put up an ad, and people get stuck, pay money – goods, no doubt, they don’t get. And money is undoubtedly lost. The public audit report of 16 July last year showed that Lithuania ranks sixth out of 28 EU countries in terms of the highest risks faced by the population due to cybercrime. The situation with us is not the best, ”says S. Genys.

He notes that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are buying more online and that this is a good time for the “dark side.”

“As innocent as those ads may seem, even after taking 200 euros, if the same person takes 200 euros, another 200 euros, a third 300 euros, in the end those amounts become large. They target an indefinite circle of people: the ad looks like an advertisement, the product is not suspicious, and services such as renting an apartment are offered; they want to get as many people as possible. Scammers operate through the most popular advertising portals. They are quite inventive, they also use Facebook auctions, of course, fictitious auctions, “says the prosecutor.

According to him, scammers are proficient in the use of social engineering and are indistinguishable from those who sell real goods.

People who have already paid money for a scam are even more likely to pay a second time, hoping to get “two goods” right away.

“People often participate in the Facebook auction, pay money and do not receive the goods. However, the scammer does not disappear, communicates, knows how to persuade to participate in the second auction and convinces that you will receive both goods at the same time. Well, they ask for the second product from them, they pay, even though the person has not received the first product yet ”, says S. Genys.

Although scammers often offer products at a slightly lower than average price, this is not a very low price – it would raise suspicions. It is important that scammers get money and use the most convincing methods.

“The ads are not very exclusive. It can be offered cheaper to get people’s attention, it is indicated that it is sold urgently, there are all kinds of options. But it is difficult to see and guess for that only that the ad is not fake ”, Says the prosecutor.

Operates from prisons

The prosecutor admits that very often the scammers operate directly from the prisons: the prisoners find ways to call and post announcements with the help of those who are released.

“Fraud schemes through publicity cases generally lead to prisons, as officially stated in the State Audit Report. This is a priority, we must try to survive,” says S. Genys.

According to the prosecutor, even when he talks to a scammer, he does not usually raise suspicions.

“They communicate in a very typical way, they don’t stand out too much. It’s such a systemic operation of them, a similar line. They will always offer to buy, the product is good, hand over the money. And honest sellers can say the same, for what differentiating them is a bit problematic, ”says S. Genys.

It points out that criminals often take advantage of various human disabilities or weaknesses by grasping them.

Scammers aren’t necessarily just sellers; there are times when they “buy” goods.

“In a specific case, a person sold a camera, placed an ad on one of the most popular portals. He was called to buy. The person who was asked to show a copy of the transfer; it is not possible to verify at the same time. You submitted a completely bogus copy of the order and surmised that the item would be shipped ASAP. But his communication certainly does not impress anyone, it is difficult to distinguish it by itself, “says the prosecutor.

Ask law enforcement to report every euro lost

Often times, a small amount seized is not enough to qualify a more complex crime, so the more complainants, the greater the case that can be processed.

“These individuals commit crimes in a systematic way, they do not commit isolated fraud, although there are some. The more data we get, ultimately the crime classification changes, the more opportunities there are to investigate crimes than taking a single episode. As a result, the prosecutor’s office pays close attention to this. The more people submitting your request, the clearer the picture will be for us. It is clear that losing 100 euros is a misdemeanor. But if it is found that the same people, with the same ads, misled more people during the periods, it is already considered a criminal act and then those 100 euros become part of the crime, ”explains S. Genys.

Is it realistic to get money back in such cases?

“The more messages the better. There is more room for action, more opportunities for scammers to make bigger mistakes, and that can increase success.”

Scammers are also evolving and now even use foreign accounts or people to make law enforcement as difficult as possible.

How to protect yourself and distinguish scammers from the real seller?

Attorney S. Genys shares his advice on how to identify scammers online and how to protect yourself against them.

“There will be less crime if the goods are bought at will and returned during the settlement. The problem arises when a person does not see another person and there is no opportunity to verify, inspect the merchandise. Not surprisingly, the number of false advertisements of Home rental is increasing in the fall, aimed at students. If it is no longer possible to inspect whether it is a commodity, a real estate or a car, to communicate with the owner, then you are already entering the area of ​​greater or lesser risk. completely blind, there is definitely a significant risk of becoming a victim of crime, ”says S. Genys.

Therefore, it is safer to pay when collecting and inspecting the product; couriers also offer this service.

“If the product cannot be inspected, you may need to find another product where it will be available. Certainly, those ads are not the only ones offering to buy such a product, “warns the prosecutor.

Advises to pay attention to the origin of the call: Pravieniškės, Marijampolė or other areas where prisons are located should raise suspicions.

According to the prosecutor, it is more reliable to buy from legal entities, companies; in such cases, fraud is extremely rare.

What else can be done:

• Ask for specific details on the specification of the product you are buying, that is, try the supposed seller or maybe honest. If you don’t get a response right away, you are more likely talking to the person who committed the crime.
• Ask to send purchase documents: If you send photos quickly, you increase the likelihood that the person is actually an honest seller.
• Ask the person to send a photo of the item, some details that are not in the ad. E.g. if purchasing an ATV, a photo of the front left wheel or similar can be requested. If a person cannot do it quickly, the likelihood that they will talk to the person who committed the crime increases.
• The best way to communicate with video calls is to have the salesperson show you the product during the conversation.
• If you are communicating with a man and asked to transfer funds to a woman’s account (or vice versa), this particularly increases the risk of meeting the perpetrator.
• Communicating with multiple phone numbers or with different people again increases the risk of harm and requires extreme vigilance in such cases.
• If a person makes a lot of spelling mistakes, it doesn’t mean they are not an honest salesperson, but even so, perpetrators often cannot read and write.
• If a deposit is requested, followed by an increase in the deposit and the transfer of additional funds, this increases the risk that the person may suffer.
• If a photo of the alleged transfer is sent, it certainly does not mean that the money has been transferred.
• If a message is received from the package delivery service that the package has already been delivered, it does not mean that the person will receive the desired package (a specific event: a home theater system was purchased, a small column was sent).
• If you are asked to transfer money to the Perlo paslaugos terminal, you should also be vigilant.

“If there is one or more of the signs mentioned above and the product is selling for a price significantly lower than the market price, then there is already the highest degree of risk that a person will be misled,” explains S. Genys.

It also advises you to prevent scammers from trusting your computer management; they generally use AnyDesk, which allows you to perform actions remotely. However, it is mainly used by scammers offering to “invest” or make money, or to pose as bank and law enforcement agents.

“While working in this area, I have seen that one of the most effective ways to combat fraud is to get to know people; Perhaps it is useful not to fall into the traps of the scammers or that they already catch you, ”the prosecutor hopes.

During 2019, about 1,300 cybercrimes were registered, of which 58%, data and systems security 34%, child pornography 6%, copyright and xenophobic crimes. – 2%, last year it was calculated by the State Audit.