2024-07-25 00:59:34
Fraud Ticker
Marriage scammers: How they rip off women on the Internet
Updated on 24.07.2024 – 13:26Reading time: 7 min.
Fraudsters are always coming up with new ways to cheat people out of their money. We’ll show you how they’re currently being ripped off.
There is a real wave of rip-offs currently hitting consumers. Fraudsters are trying to gain access to sensitive data, credit cards and accounts, primarily through digital channels. You can always read the latest scams they are currently using here.
The White Ring – a non-profit organization that supports victims of crime and prevents crime – warns against the scams of so-called marriage scammers on the Internet. The scammers particularly target middle-aged women. “Among 40 and 50-year-old women, there are always cases in which a man tries to contact them and then deceives them into believing they are in a relationship,” explains Lena Weilbacher from the White Ring in Mainz.
Often it is about the victims’ money. The fraudsters give the women false information in order to pressure them into paying. The perpetrators try to avoid a personal meeting. However, conversations can often take place in virtual space.
“The women are deeply shocked when they find out the truth. They feel lied to, abandoned and doubt their ability to understand human nature,” says Weilbacher. The shame is great. The women can, however, file a criminal complaint. According to Weilbacher, it is important to secure evidence – for example with screenshots and archiving messages.
The NRW consumer advice center is warning of fraudulent emails that are disguised as AOK messages and are currently circulating more and more frequently. According to the report, criminals are using this scam to obtain sensitive personal data. The email claims that customers urgently need to apply for a new health card because the old one is no longer valid and the insurance company is no longer covering the costs.
These claims are lies, according to the consumer advice center. Anyone who clicks on the “Send my request” button ends up on a fake website and provides their data to the criminals, who then use it for further abuse such as identity theft. It is therefore best to move such emails immediately to the spam folder and under no circumstances open the attachments.
If you are unsure, you should contact your health insurance company directly – but be careful when looking for contact details. Always use the number on your health insurance card or enter the official web address directly in your browser. If you have already fallen for this trick, you should report it to the police immediately and also inform your health insurance company.
The Sparkasse is currently warning about a scam on its website. Specifically, it involves letters that are sent in the name of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association. In them, customers are asked to update their personal data. According to the Sparkasse’s statement, attempts are being made to lure victims to a website using a QR code.
If you scan the QR code, you will be taken to a website that asks for your online banking access data, the number of your Sparkasse card/credit card and other personal information. The Sparkasse strongly advises against entering private data there. If you have already done so, however, you should contact the bank immediately and have your online banking access and your Sparkasse card and credit card blocked.
At the checkout in the supermarket, you can often find stands with various gift cards from Amazon, Spotify & Co. Customers should now be careful when buying the small cards. A new scam means that the money deposited does not end up on the voucher, but directly in the fraudsters’ account, warns the Erfurt police.
The perpetrators cover the barcodes on the cards with a manipulated version and then hang the vouchers back on the sales stands. When customers pay money into them at the checkout, the money is not deposited on the voucher but on the perpetrators’ account. Customers only notice the fraud when they realize that the voucher cannot be redeemed.