Fraud warning in Berlin: Josh from UK is wrong with a fake bank app!

Fraud warning in Berlin: Josh from UK is wrong with a fake bank app!

München, Deutschland - In Berlin, the warnings of a new fraud stitch are increasing. A Reddit user reported on an incident that occurred on January 7 at the Marienplatz subway exit. The fraudster, who introduced himself as a "Josh from UK", pretended that a savings bank automatic machine had moved in and that he had to wait several days for a new card. In his need he asked for financial help.

He showed the victims a fake bank app and asked them to transfer money to him so that he could withdraw it and give him back. But the accounts that the victims transferred do not exist. The Reddit contribution met with great interest, and many users thanked for the helpful warning that could protect potential further victims from the fraudster. [Berlin live] (https://www.berlin-live.de/berlin/brennpunkt/berlin-betrueger-bank-strasse-abzocke-maschen-offe-schicht- ID348516.html) reports that such stitches are becoming more and more creative.

The IBAN mesh and its distribution

In addition to the fraud in Berlin, the consumer advice centers warn of the so-called "Iban mesh". This aims in particular on the users of overnight accounts. Fraudsters ask their victims to transfer money to fake accounts, often under the pretext that it is a high -quality investment offer. These offers are often spread via fraudulent websites or false consulting companies.

In April 2023, the consumer center had already warned of this form of fraud. In North Rhine-Westphalia in particular, numerous cases are known in which fraudsters appear to be trustworthy and send deceptively real-acting application forms. Victims often only find out too late from the fraud that contact with the supposed credit institutions breaks off and that they receive fake account statements. RuHR24 recommends to be skeptical.

Current phishing threats

The consumer advice centers advise to be careful when receiving such emails because they aim to steal personal data. It is recommended to move such messages to the spam folder and, if in doubt, consult the official telecom page in order to obtain clarity about the truth content of the bills [https://www.consumerzentrale.de/wissen/digitale-welt/phishingradar/phishingradar-aktuelle-warnungs-6059).