DNSC: More and more fraud attempts in the name of the Police and the National Bank

The National Directorate of Cyber Security (DNSC) warns of a new wave of telephone fraud involving false identities of the Romanian Police and the National Bank of Romania (BNR). Cyber attackers use sophisticated methods to obtain confidential banking information, resorting to psychological manipulation and falsified documents. According to DNSC, since April 2025, numerous incidents have been reported in which victims have been contacted by phone by people claiming to be police officers or representatives of the BNR. The scenario is meticulously developed and is based on intimidation and psychological pressure.

The initial call is made by an alleged "police agent", who claims that an international criminal wanted by Interpol has tried to contract a loan using the victim's identity, DNSC informs. An "official" framework is created, mentioning articles of law, an ongoing criminal investigation, and the sending of a summons to the police. For "verification," a forged but visually convincing police ID card is sent via WhatsApp. The victim is then redirected to a fake NBR "specialist" who claims to monitor banking operations. A fake official letter is sent to him, with the NBR letterhead and the signature of Governor Mugur Isărescu, to increase credibility. The communication is moved to Telegram or WhatsApp, under the pretext of a "secure environment." Under various pretexts, the victim is asked for bank statements, screenshots, and other sensitive banking data. All the while, the victim is warned that he is not allowed to discuss the investigation with anyone - not even a lawyer - under threat of arrest. In some cases, he is told that he will undergo a polygraph test, as a method of "additional verification."

Characteristic elements of the fraud scheme: Caller ID spoofing - Calls appear to come from official institutions; Forged digital documents - Official IDs, summonses or letters; Emotional and legal manipulation - Pressure, fear, formal and authoritative language; Alternative communication channels - WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal; Gradual collection of personal and banking data - Presented as "security checks".

The DNSC recommendations are as follows: Do not provide personal or banking data over the phone, no matter how official the call seems; End the call and contact the institution directly, using official numbers; Do not continue the conversation on messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal; Verify received images using reverse image search tools; Do not install remote control applications, regardless of the explanation;

Do not be intimidated by authoritative language or the invocation of legal articles; Activate transaction alerts and permanently monitor bank accounts.

Reader's Opinion

write your opinion here.

Accord

By writing your opinion here you confirm that you have read the rules below and that you consent to them.

Anti-Romanian comments are prohibited.
- Use decent language.
The editorial team reserves the right to remove incoherent and vulgar opinions, which includes those with anti-social, obscene, and/or insulting content, as well as those that do not pertain to the article in question.
Stupid-aggressive comments are not allowed.
Incitement to social hatred and/or xenophobia, discrimination based on gender, age, or any other nature are not accepted.
Advertising announcements are not permitted.
Do not insert links or email addresses in the text of opinions.
Deliberate repetition of the same message (or variants) can be considered propaganda; propaganda in this form is prohibited.
- Threats of any kind are not accepted.
- Harassment of BURSA's journalists is not allowed.
- Defaming the BURSA Newspaper is prohibited.
- Revealing the identity of any commentator in the opinion section without their written consent filed with the Editorial Office is not accepted.
The use of the names of BURSA's journalists for the falsification of opinion signatures is not allowed.
Name substitution is not accepted.
The editorial team reserves the right to delete opinions and restrict access to posting opinions for those who are deemed to act in bad faith.
Violations of this regulation will result in the removal of posted opinions (an equivalent of self-censorship by the author of the message, rather than censorship practiced by the newspaper).
SPECIFICATIONS:
- All opinions express the views of the authors, not the administrator (except for messages written by the administrator); we do not take responsibility for materials posted on this site by individuals not authorized by the BURSA newspaper.
- Posting a message implies tacit acceptance of this regulation.
- If you request individual responses, please provide your real email address; we will try, within the available time, to answer all your questions.