Online and telephone scams have caused damages of at least 157 million lei in the first five months of the current year. The announcement was made by the head of the General Police Inspectorate, Viorel Cernauteanu. According to the IGP chief, the actual amount could, however, be much higher, as not all victims report to the authorities, reports IPN.
The Head of the General Police Inspectorate mentioned that numerous victims of fraudsters avoid reporting fraud cases due to shame or feelings of guilt. “Some don’t even report. Out of shame for what happened. But that’s no excuse. People must report and we must do everything possible for them to recover their losses,” stated Viorel Cernauteanu during the TV show “Point of the Day” on TVR Moldova.
According to him, the phenomenon is widespread, and the number of reports and cases managed by the police is continually increasing. “Over 1,500 reports have been noted. There are about 800 criminal cases already under management, but some of the materials are still criminal proceedings, meaning the circumstances are yet to be determined. Therefore, this number will subsequently increase,” added Viorel Cernauteanu.
The IGP Chief drew attention to the fact that the investigation of these crimes is hindered by their cross-border nature. According to him, criminal groups take advantage of information technologies to operate from outside the country.
“Thanks to the possibilities of information technologies, crime no longer has a border. The criminal’s choice is to commit an act outside the territory where they are located, because it becomes much more difficult to document. There are a few call centers operating from several countries,” said the head of the National Police.
