DNSC: New online fraud attempts in the name of Interpol, Europol and the Romanian Police

The National Directorate of Cyber Security (DNSC) is sounding the alarm about a new online fraud method, in which attackers use the visual identity of important institutions such as Interpol, Europol or the Romanian Police to deceive users.

• How does this fraud method work?

According to DNSC, hackers send fake emails that appear to come from the authorities and contain serious accusations, designed to scare the recipients. Typically, the messages refer to alleged crimes such as "juvenile pornography", "pedophilia" or "exhibitionism" and include a 48-hour response deadline. This intimidation technique aims to reduce the victim's ability to analyze the situation logically, causing them to react quickly and provide sensitive data, including personal or banking information.

• Expert recommendations

To avoid such traps, DNSC recommends that users be extremely vigilant and consider the following measures: - Verify the sender: An official institution will not send such notifications via suspicious emails. Attackers' addresses are often hidden by aliases; - Avoid accessing links or downloading attached files: These may contain malware that can compromise the user's device.

Ignore alarmist messages: Official institutions do not request confidential information via email and do not require urgent responses in such situations; - Report the incident: If a user has fallen into the trap and provided personal or banking data, it is recommended to urgently contact the bank to block the card and any fraudulent transactions; - The Police and DNSC should also be notified to investigate the case.

DNSC, together with the Romanian Police and the Romanian Association of Banks, is running the national awareness campaign #SigurantaOnline, through which users are taught to identify and avoid the main threats in the digital environment. Online frauds are increasingly sophisticated, and attackers take advantage of users' lack of information to gain access to their data. Therefore, a preventive attitude and a good knowledge of the methods used by hackers can make the difference between becoming a victim and avoiding a scam.