False promises of quick and unrealistic profits

How the scam works

They contact the victim by calling them or sending them a text message, they know the name of the victim, and offer “guaranteed profit”. They will lure the victim with small initial payments (e.g. EUR 250) and “apps” presenting fake profits and ask for further payments allegedly intended for taxes, commissions, etc. They will often ask the victim to install remote view software, thus assuming control of the victim’s device and their mobile banking.

How to identify and prevent

No legitimate entity will call you “out of the blue” and offer huge risk-free earnings. Before making any arrangements, consult HANFA’s registries to confirm that the service provider is licensed.

How the scam works

Ads promoted as “work from home” and claiming that money can be made by watching content or playing video games on mobile devices or computers. They will ask the victim to enter their card data for “verification” purposes or to install suspicious apps and sometimes send a small amount of money to gain their trust, only to proceed to ask for further payments.

How to identify and prevent

No legitimate business will offer substantial earnings for watching ads. Such fraudulent ads can be recognized for making huge promises, asking for sensitive information or prepayments and using suspicious websites. If such an app asks for wide access to files/messages – delete it immediately and report the ad.

How the scam works

Ads fraudulently claiming that a victim has won a valuable prize and only needs to confirm their information to claim it.

How to identify and prevent

Think twice and ask yourself whether or not you have actually played the game in the first place and ensure that the operator is legitimate. If not, there is no prize. After all, they would only need your address to deliver your prize rather than additional banking or personal information.