Under the pretext that his phone was broken and an important transfer needed to be made promptly, the unknown perpetrator succeeded in persuading the 54-year-old to make a payment of 1,800 euros. The money was transferred to an account specified in the message. When the man spoke to his real son shortly afterward, he realized his mistake. A criminal complaint against the unknown fraudster was filed. The police explicitly emphasize once again not to make any payments or other transfers of any kind without prior thorough verification. Criminals impersonate sons or daughters via SMS, WhatsApp, or phone calls and simulate an emergency situation (usually financial). Contact other relatives, friends, neighbors, and/or the police if you feel uncertain about contacts.
Bank error sends 1,800 euros to wrong son in unexpected mix-up
