Great work for Police post in these first months of the year. During the first semester, the Police department concluded alarge-scale operation to combat online scams, computer fraud and unauthorized access to computer systems. The operation, which involved 11 Italian regions, led to the discovery of 14 thousand cases of fraud, +10% compared to last year, and to subtraction of more than 114 million euros.
Most scams involved social engineering techniques, where scammers have tricked victims into providing sensitive information or to make money transfers.
The operation of the postal police
During the operation, coordinated by the Postal Police and Cyber Security Service, they were over 160 operators involved of the Operational Centers for Cyber Security. The activities involved 54 people residing in Campania, Puglia, Veneto, Sicily, Calabria, Piedmont, Lombardy, Lazio, Tuscany, Marche and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Numerous personal and home searches were carried out, which allowed the collection of important evidential elements useful for the continuation of the investigations.
Thanks to this operation, it was possible dismantle several fraudster networks and identify those responsible for numerous frauds. The investigations made it possible to seize computer equipment used to commit the crimes and to recover part of the money stolen from the victims.
The types of scams
The main types of scams detected during this period include:
Fake operators
One of the most common scams found during investigations is that of false operators. In this scheme, scammers contact victims by telephone or SMS, posing as bank employees or police workers. The pretext is always the same: an alleged anomalous access to the current account. To solve the problem, victims come invite you to transfer all the money to another “secure” account. Once the transfer is made, the money disappears, ending up in the hands of scammers.
False children or relatives
Another widespread scam is that of false son or relative. In these cases, victims are contacted by people posing as a child, grandchild or other relative in difficulty. The scammers, using perfectly counterfeit rumors, ask for financial help to solve urgent problems, such as the loss of their wallet, cell phone or ATM. The request to send money is usually urgent and convincing, leading many victims to fall into the trap.
Fraudulent ads on social networks
Scammers also exploit major social platforms to publish false advertisements for the sale of goods and services at extremely advantageous prices. These ads aim to steal victims' personal, banking data and account login credentials. Often, after receiving payment, the scammers disappear, leaving victims without the purchased goods and with empty accounts.
The advice of the Postal Police
To help citizens to protect yourself from online scams, the Postal Police has released a series of useful tips:
- Never click on links contained in suspicious emails or SMS. It is always preferable to connect directly to the official website using a search engine.
- No member of the Police Force, employee of the Italian Post Office or banking institution will ever ask to know personal credentials and codes for accessing home banking or to make bank transfers or other money payments via telephone, SMS or email. If in doubt, it is advisable to contact the official customer service immediately.
- Ignore suspicious messages from unknown numbers claiming to be relatives or friends in need. Always check by contacting the person with the already known number directly.
- Be wary of overly advantageous adverts and always check the reliability of the proposals through the reviews published online by other users.
