Scammers sell video cards that have been in short supply around the world: the target is children and adolescents

Technology companies such as AMD or Nvidia released the latest video cards in November last year, but finding them on the market remains a challenge not only in Lithuania, but around the world. Those who want to assemble a computer have to choose between older models or look for equipment on advertising portals.

Scammers have already touched this. The woman who wrote to Delfi says that children become victims: they are trustworthy, they are tempted by the opportunity to gamble or try to make money with cryptocurrencies. But deluded, they avoid admitting how they lost the money they saved.

With the prices of cryptocurrencies on the rise, the video card is not only suitable for games, depending on its power and price, you can “buy” from tens of cents to 5-6 euros, if you buy the latest video cards that cost between 1000 and 1500 euros.

On advertising portals you can find not only misleading, but also surprising ads: not even video cards are sold, but only boxes of them for several tens of euros.

The reader shared how to recognize

The Delphi reader, who introduced himself to the grandmother of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin, shared his thoughts on how scammers mislead young people.

“Now that the rate of cryptocurrencies is increasing, more and more teenagers dream of buying video cards and start looking for cryptocurrencies. Many children have received money from Santa Claus, for whom, after adding their savings, they hope to buy a video card to play during the day and search for cryptocurrencies at night. All video cards from Lithuanian stores have already been removed, enthusiasts have to buy used video cards and pay for them as if they were new. This situation is widely used by scammers “writes the woman.

You notice that new video card ads that load on the most popular ad portals don’t take long. However, special care should be taken with those who come from districts such as Mažeikiai, Kėdainiai, Prienai, etc. In cities, it is easier for buyers to walk up and check the product they are buying, but there are far fewer good panels here at attractive prices.

“The scheme is simple and works very well: the video cards are sold a little below the market price, the seller agrees to send them only by mail, the young people transfer money to the specified account, and the purchased product never arrives. Due to that teenagers and children buy these products for their own money and do not consult with their parents about digging for cryptocurrencies or updating computer equipment, usually not even telling their parents how painfully they have been misled and disappointed ” says the angry woman.

This can generate more than a year of savings for children, and the police may not be able to access such information; children feel abused for a long time.

“It is no secret that young people and students who have not yet encountered arrogant scammers are also actively interested in digging for cryptocurrencies, so it is also very easy to confuse them. Scammers feed on credibility and youth. As I actively follow new advertisements in this area, I have noticed that scammers place every second advertisement on a topic that I am following. Therefore, I want to warn all children, adolescents and parents about the usual fraudulent scheme, “writes the woman .

Video card prices typically range from one hundred and a half to several hundred euros, with the latter reaching as much as 800 to 1800 euros.

Fraudulent ads have common characteristics.

“Scammers offer to send you video cards by ATM, only before that, of course, you need to transfer money. Often, scammers do not have other ads and ads are posted on the portal in January 2021. All scammers” live “in the districts. The best way to identify a potentially unscrupulous seller is to offer them a video card to mail to them. This is the postal service when the item arrives at the nearest post office. On presentation of an identity document, you can open the package, inspect the item and, if applicable, pay money to the postal staff. The money you pay will be paid to the seller at the post office of your choice. If the product is not taken, He will return it safely to the seller by mail, ”the woman warns.

Scammers who receive such an offer also find tricks: they evade, ask at least a down payment, or promise that a friend will bring the product, but then all of a sudden the plans change, the seller “meets” at the post office , where the money must be transferred immediately, and so on. Similar fraud schemes, only for the sale of other products, have been announced more than once, as have those convicted in prisons.

“The usual thing when you contact scammers is to sign a message on one phone number and get a response from another number. Often the salesperson will call you back late at night. (…) Scammers have guarantees on all products if necessary. A “seller” even sent me an invoice for payment from the accountant’s email, only to see that the email address was temporary and valid for 10 minutes. But the invoice seemed solid, as if it had been sent by the accountant herself, ”the woman warns.

Couriers offer the service of shipping the merchandise with a cash collection service, which would allow you to pay by collecting the merchandise directly from the courier. The reader is taught that, in this case, the seller’s address can also be traced, as the courier usually picks up the goods at home.

“Once you get the seller’s address, make sure it’s not a prison sometimes,” the woman jokes.

30 euros for an empty box: the price is already at 40 percent. discount

The following announcement can also be found on the popular Skelbiu.lt announcement portal: “MSi Rtx 3070 Gaming X Trio Box. I send it by post. “Price – 30 euros. It is claimed that a discount of 40 percent has already been applied to the price. Sender in Siauliai.

“Here the box is sold to those who then deceived people. They will put anything in the box and at any stop the money will change,” the comments of the ad share.

The owner assures in the comments that he can also offer a bag with the box.

Ad commentators can help draw attention to details that may not seem suspicious to the first buyer. For example, the Asus Rog Strix 1080 video card is sold on the same portal, indicating that “it was not in the field of miners” and cost 380 euros.

For example, approximately a video card of this type would allow the buyer to receive about 1.5-2 euros per day without deducting electricity costs.

Commenter’s name: the seller has just registered, the photo is not original, the neighborhood is far away (Palanga). Other comments: “The area is moving”, “It will fool you”, etc.

The police launched 9 investigations

Last year, the police launched 9 criminal investigations into anticipated fraud (by transferring funds in advance) involving false advertisements about the sale of video cards. The average damage is 200 Eur.

“In 2020, between 1 and 2 such cases were observed. January, April, May, September, October, December. Compared to 2019, the trend of such events has not changed significantly,” explains the Lithuanian Criminal Police Office. .

Advance payments are a favorite area for scammers and there are a wide variety of scams.

“The anticipated fraud mechanism generally occurs on popular advertising portals and social networks by posting false advertisements about a product or service sold below the normal market price and requesting an advance payment (advance). Direct contact is often avoided and the person who paid the advance for the good or service does not receive the latter. It should be noted that each person must responsibly evaluate the legality of the services offered and the quality of the goods, “said the police.

Criminal liability for fraud is established in accordance with Article 182 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania. Depending on the circumstances of the fraud, the perpetrator may be subject to public works, a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to 8 years.

For minor frauds, when the amount of money fraudulently seized does not reach 3MGL, the administrative liability is established in accordance with article 108 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Lithuania. This administrative offense can be punished with a fine of between € 90 and € 400.

“In fraud investigation, the investigation of each individual event can be carried out differently, depending on the circumstances of the specific act, subjective and objective characteristics of the act. Depending on the circumstances of the incident and the extent of the damage caused, a pre-trial investigation or an investigation of administrative misconduct may be initiated, ”the police explain.

Despite strong warnings, many trusted people still suffer

If the criminal police office suspects that a scammer has been found or detected, ask the police to report it immediately by phone 112. Why? Reporting to the police will help you identify scammers more efficiently and quickly – all reports you receive are logged, analyzed, collated and linked to common characteristics.

“Despite constant warnings and advice in the media and in the public sphere on how not to fall into the trap of scammers, many trusted people continue to suffer from various scams. One of the most important tips is to critically evaluate offers that offer goods or services. It is also advisable not to send an advance to people you do not know to buy goods and services only from trusted people and / or online stores, “say the police.