For three months, the Moldovan Police will carry out an extensive campaign for citizens about the risk of online scams, about false investments, their prevention and combat, reports IPN.
Official data, presented by the IGP, shows that in the first nine months of this year, 1,200 cybercrimes were committed, causing damages of around 200 million lei. 830 cases were documented, with losses of 73 million lei. The head of the Cybercrime Combat Department within the IGP, Iurie Roșca, pointed out that citizens are made vulnerable by poor financial education, the desire for quick gain, and the increased credibility of some sponsored advertisements.
Scammers use sponsored ads on the internet and social networks, contact victims, request the deposit of small sums, and induce the idea that money multiplies. Subsequently, through applications like AnyDesk or TeamViewer, which citizens install on their phones, they gain access to personal data and accounts. When victims ask for the withdrawal of money, they are asked for commissions, at which point they realize they have been deceived.
The campaign is carried out with the support of the Police and the Estonian Governance Academy. Maarja Punak, the representative of the Estonian Police’s public relations service, mentioned: “The most common methods are bank scams, investments, and phishing, and their prevention is very important. If there were a technical solution to prevent scams, Estonia would have already invented it. We are here not only to teach, but also to learn from the experience of Moldova.”
Anna Vishnav, a representative of the Governance Academy of Estonia, emphasized that governance should be the first line of defense and that digital education in schools and citizen training play an essential role, which will be the starting point of the 10-year project in partnership with the Police of the Republic of Moldova.
Last year, the “relative in accident” campaign was conducted, during which about 30 cases were recorded daily. This year, however, such situations occur once every two to three months, noted the head of IGP, Viorel Cernăuțean.
The “Stop Fake Investments” campaign takes place from September to November.
