Hundreds of Moldovans fall victim each year to phone and online fraud schemes carried out by scammers who pose as bank employees. Fraudsters contact people by phone, social media, or messaging apps and lure them with promises of guaranteed investments, prizes, or limited time offers in order to gain access to their money.
In most cases, criminals do not steal money directly from victims. Instead, they use so called droppers, intermediaries whom they persuade to open bank cards and accounts in exchange for small payments. Droppers are often young people, the unemployed, pensioners, or other vulnerable individuals. Scammers then rapidly withdraw the funds or convert them into cryptocurrencies, while the people who opened the accounts face legal consequences.
Individuals who agree to take part in such schemes risk having their bank cards and accounts blocked, losing access to loans, being unable to open new accounts, and facing criminal liability.
Authorities monitor suspicious transactions and identify droppers, who may be placed on banking blacklists. As a result, they can lose access to financial services and even to social payments.
Police urge citizens:
- not to open bank cards or accounts for other people;
- not to share banking details with strangers;
- to report any attempted fraud immediately.