Educational guide: how to recognise a scam

The golden rule

(valid for every type of fraud)

A legitimate institution (bank, police, courier, state) will NEVER ask you for:

your PIN, your password or codes received by SMS (3D Secure / OTP codes)
to move money “for safety” into a “safe account”
to install remote-access apps (AnyDesk, TeamViewer)
to act immediately, under pressure, “or you lose your money / you will be arrested”

Time pressure = alarm signal #1. Scammers do not want you to have time to think or to ask anyone.

Someone calls claiming to be from the police, DIICOT, your bank or an “anti-fraud department”.

You get an SMS about a held parcel or an overdue fine, with a link to a page that steals your card details.

An email that seems to come from your bank, ANAF, Netflix or PayPal sends you to a fake page that steals your login details.

Ads with celebrities “recommending” an investment platform: fake profits, then “unlocking fees” when you try to withdraw.

You get a message from an unknown number, from someone who says they are your child or a relative who changed numbers, and then asks for money.

You are told you won a prize or have a huge inheritance, but you must pay a “fee” first.

You are offered easy money for a few hours a day, then you are talked into “investing” to unlock your earnings.

A “buyer”, a “courier” or a “landlord” takes you out of the platform and leads you to a page that asks for your card details.

An email says you were filmed through your camera or recorded, and asks for bitcoin so it is not made public.

A window or a call says your phone or computer is infected and asks you to install an app to “help” you.

An apparently wrong message leads to a friendly conversation, then to an “investment” or a request for money.