Financial
scammers
wear many
masks.

Choose one of the most popular scam categories and learn how to identify them and deal with them.

Translation provided by
IOM Lithuania

Scams posing as law enforcement

You know about phone scams and therefore you are already very suspicious of unexpected calls, right? However, the officer introduced himself by name and surname, claimed to be from the police, the Financial Crimes Investigation Service (FCIS), the Special Investigation Service (SIS) or a similar institution? You do not publish your details anywhere, so the law enforcement officer MUST have got your number from someone important to you, right? Or maybe they are telling you that they have received information that suspicious transfers being made from an account belonging to you? Remember that in the event of an emergency, officers can only inform you and ask you to clarify the details.

Officers will never ask for your internet bank logins or other confidential data.
If they request this information or if you have already disclosed your online banking logins, contact your bank and police immediately.
Use only official sources for the contact details of financial institutions and law enforcement agencies.
If a caller reports that someone close to you is in trouble or in an emergency, contact them first instead of following the stranger's instructions.
Do not be afraid to appear rude – if you suspect anything, just stop talking.

You know about phone scams and therefore you are already very suspicious of unexpected calls, right? However, the officer introduced himself by name and surname, claimed to be from the police, the Financial Crimes Investigation Service (FCIS), the Special Investigation Service (SIS) or a similar institution? You do not publish your details anywhere, so the law enforcement officer MUST have got your number from someone important to you, right? Or maybe they are telling you that they have received information that suspicious transfers being made from an account belonging to you? Remember that in the event of an emergency, officers can only inform you and ask you to clarify the details.

Officers will never ask for your internet bank logins or other confidential data.
If they request this information or if you have already disclosed your online banking logins, contact your bank and police immediately.
Use only official sources for the contact details of financial institutions and law enforcement agencies.
If a caller reports that someone close to you is in trouble or in an emergency, contact them first instead of following the stranger's instructions.
Do not be afraid to appear rude – if you suspect anything, just stop talking.

Romantic scams

You met someone online and can correspond all day? Everything just looks perfect? Really? It is great if that is your success story. But always bear in mind that showering you with attention may be a very well thought-out act. Scammers use reminders about their "clients", track their important personal details and have schedules of when it is time to write again. For you, it is a flirtation and an after-work respite; for them, it is a strategic action plan drawn up in consultation with psychologists. Although women are thought to be the main target of romantic scammers, men are increasingly falling victim too.

Your new crush is asking for intimate photos of you? If you share them or details of your private life, scammers may resort to blackmail and threaten to make intimate information public if they are not paid. In terms of the scale of damage, romantic scams beat telephone scams.
Your new love lives outside Lithuania and wants to fly over to you, but their bank card just "happens" to be blocked? Do not rush to transfer money. Be vigilant not to disclose your personal or bank details. Do not lend money or make transfers on behalf of another person. Not only can you lose money this way, but you may also become an accomplice in money laundering.
There is no shame in caution. Search the Internet for information about your new crush: do they have active accounts on other social networks, do you have mutual friends, is the photo used in the account not publicly available in a Google search under the name of another person? Ask your family and friends for their opinions.

You met someone online and can correspond all day? Everything just looks perfect? Really? It is great if that is your success story. But always bear in mind that showering you with attention may be a very well thought-out act. Scammers use reminders about their "clients", track their important personal details and have schedules of when it is time to write again. For you, it is a flirtation and an after-work respite; for them, it is a strategic action plan drawn up in consultation with psychologists. Although women are thought to be the main target of romantic scammers, men are increasingly falling victim too.

Your new crush is asking for intimate photos of you? If you share them or details of your private life, scammers may resort to blackmail and threaten to make intimate information public if they are not paid. In terms of the scale of damage, romantic scams beat telephone scams.
Your new love lives outside Lithuania and wants to fly over to you, but their bank card just "happens" to be blocked? Do not rush to transfer money. Be vigilant not to disclose your personal or bank details. Do not lend money or make transfers on behalf of another person. Not only can you lose money this way, but you may also become an accomplice in money laundering.
There is no shame in caution. Search the Internet for information about your new crush: do they have active accounts on other social networks, do you have mutual friends, is the photo used in the account not publicly available in a Google search under the name of another person? Ask your family and friends for their opinions.

Scams posing as a bank

Is the bank asking you to update your data? Or maybe there is a system glitch and a helpful member of staff wants to help – all you need to do is give them your login details and they will do it for you? Beware, as no employee of a bank, social security fund or any other institution or organisation can ask you for your login data. If this is the case, you may have encountered a financial scam.

You may be contacted not only by phone calls, but also by letter or SMS with a link that takes you to a fake website instead of the official one.
You may receive messages and emails from a "bank" with a fraudulent sender's name.
Do not be rushed and be extra attentive. Spelling and grammatical errors, poor or changed website design and quality, as well as information inaccuracies are less and less likely to be a sign of deception. Scammers are now able to create almost perfect duplicates of websites, so you may not notice any obvious differences.
Do not give in to pressure to share your screen. No employee of any financial institution or organisation will ask you to do this.

Is the bank asking you to update your data? Or maybe there is a system glitch and a helpful member of staff wants to help – all you need to do is give them your login details and they will do it for you? Beware, as no employee of a bank, social security fund or any other institution or organisation can ask you for your login data. If this is the case, you may have encountered a financial scam.

You may be contacted not only by phone calls, but also by letter or SMS with a link that takes you to a fake website instead of the official one.
You may receive messages and emails from a "bank" with a fraudulent sender's name.
Do not be rushed and be extra attentive. Spelling and grammatical errors, poor or changed website design and quality, as well as information inaccuracies are less and less likely to be a sign of deception. Scammers are now able to create almost perfect duplicates of websites, so you may not notice any obvious differences.
Do not give in to pressure to share your screen. No employee of any financial institution or organisation will ask you to do this.

Fake managers

You got an unexpected phone call or email from the head of your workplace? Is it strange that the call comes after working hours? Be careful! If you are asked to make an urgent payment transaction, change supplier details and disregard internal company procedures, you are probably dealing with a financial scammer.

Before taking any action, contact responsible colleagues or your line manager. Do not make any payments or click on any links sent to you.
Follow your company's internal procedures. If you do not have one, now is the best time to take care of it.
Avoid sharing excessive personal or company information on social networks.

You got an unexpected phone call or email from the head of your workplace? Is it strange that the call comes after working hours? Be careful! If you are asked to make an urgent payment transaction, change supplier details and disregard internal company procedures, you are probably dealing with a financial scammer.

Before taking any action, contact responsible colleagues or your line manager. Do not make any payments or click on any links sent to you.
Follow your company's internal procedures. If you do not have one, now is the best time to take care of it.
Avoid sharing excessive personal or company information on social networks.

Bogus business partners

A call or email comes from a new employee with a partner company – it is their first week at work and the poor guy has messed up account numbers? You remember your own start in a new job long ago, so you decide to be friendly, help out and change the account details as requested? Or perhaps the new supplier's accountant is very strict and pressing you to pay the invoice and fix mistakes in it? Be careful - new employees, "forgotten" invoices and other urgent changes can be a trap set up by scammers.

Report the situation to responsible colleagues.
Contact suppliers or partners to confirm any changes requested.
Use only officially agreed and approved contact details and channels, not social networks.

A call or email comes from a new employee with a partner company – it is their first week at work and the poor guy has messed up account numbers? You remember your own start in a new job long ago, so you decide to be friendly, help out and change the account details as requested? Or perhaps the new supplier's accountant is very strict and pressing you to pay the invoice and fix mistakes in it? Be careful - new employees, "forgotten" invoices and other urgent changes can be a trap set up by scammers.

Report the situation to responsible colleagues.
Contact suppliers or partners to confirm any changes requested.
Use only officially agreed and approved contact details and channels, not social networks.

Fake investment brokers

You have to risk it for the buiscuit, right? Have you been offered a "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to invest and make money? It is not some inheritance from an Arab sheikh, so it cannot be a scam, right? Beware, scammers not only have new operating principles but also fake websites, realistic-looking documents and fake certificates.
It is worth to be start worrying if:

They promises quick returns and the validity period of the offer is "very limited".
You get persistent repeated calls.
The offer is valid only for you and you are asked not share it with anyone else.
The website you are offered to visit does not have a security certificate lock, or communication is done via a messaging app (Viber, Whatsapp).
The broker offers to take care of everything for you, all you need to do is provide your e-banking, card or ID information. Or maybe they ask you to download an application (usually AnyDesk) and log in to your internet bank, supposedly to help them "sort things out" quickly. Do not rush to give representation rights to this kind of an "agent". Real intermediaries help clients with their knowledge, not by pushing buttons for the client.
If you have already been scammed once, do not forget that you may be approached by scammers again in the future. For example, after a while you may receive messages or calls from people offering to help you recover your lost money. "We see you have lost money, but your funds have been found" – that is the favourite story of scammers posing as lawyers or officers. As hopeful as it may sound, do not take the bait.

You have to risk it for the buiscuit, right? Have you been offered a "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to invest and make money? It is not some inheritance from an Arab sheikh, so it cannot be a scam, right? Beware, scammers not only have new operating principles but also fake websites, realistic-looking documents and fake certificates.
It is worth to be start worrying if:

They promises quick returns and the validity period of the offer is "very limited".
You get persistent repeated calls.
The offer is valid only for you and you are asked not share it with anyone else.
The website you are offered to visit does not have a security certificate lock, or communication is done via a messaging app (Viber, Whatsapp).
The broker offers to take care of everything for you, all you need to do is provide your e-banking, card or ID information. Or maybe they ask you to download an application (usually AnyDesk) and log in to your internet bank, supposedly to help them "sort things out" quickly. Do not rush to give representation rights to this kind of an "agent". Real intermediaries help clients with their knowledge, not by pushing buttons for the client.
If you have already been scammed once, do not forget that you may be approached by scammers again in the future. For example, after a while you may receive messages or calls from people offering to help you recover your lost money. "We see you have lost money, but your funds have been found" – that is the favourite story of scammers posing as lawyers or officers. As hopeful as it may sound, do not take the bait.

Internet "merchants" and "buyers

Found an expensive item at an unbelievable price online? This is likely to be another form of scam. If you do decide to take the chance, have a separate card for online shopping. Only top up your account before you make the payment and only as much as you need to buy a specific product or service.

Are you buying or selling second-hand goods or clothing online? Beware of scammers operating on Skelbiu.lt, Vinted and similar platforms. When selling or buying, they provide links to a supposed parcel service where you are asked to enter your payment card details, internet banking details, account balance or other confidential data. This information is definitely not meant for a smooth transaction. The dimensions, condition and delivery address of the item you are selling are sufficient for this.

Not buying, but selling, so you feel safe, right? Be careful when catering to your customers' whims. A potential buyer is asking via SMS or chat app if they can pay via a courier service? It may be that they are not seeking convenience, but to make money. Do not take the bait and give your payment card details – the only information you need to give to get paid for the purchase is the seller's account number.

8 5 249 66 69 atpazink@atpazinksukciu.lt True stories

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