The scammers' requests are various – medications, a lost purse or wallet, lack of money to return home or a difficult financial situation. The criminals explain that they are short of funds now, but they will give them back in the evening as soon as they receive the transfer. That's why it's worth meeting your friend in person or calling and finding out if he or she is really in need.
New forms of financial fraud
The decision to lend money to your social media friends is always a difficult one. Many factors influence whether such a transaction is safe and beneficial to both parties. First of all, you should pay attention to how well you know the person. Is it someone we know only from the Internet or maybe a long-time friend. When comparing situations in which you lend money to friends on social media with situations in which it is borrowed in the real world, you can notice some differences. For example, a face-to-face loan comes with a greater sense of responsibility and obligation to repay. In the case of social media, where interactions are more anonymous, this obligation may be less felt.
Payment code fraud
BLIK fraud has recently become more popular. They involve extorting payment codes, most often using instant messaging or social media accounts. A cybercriminal contacts a potential victim and, impersonating a family member or friend, asks for an urgent loan. To achieve his goal, he encourages people to generate a payment code by phone and then send it to a "friend".
– The threat does not result from the payment method, because both BLIK and the banking application itself have a number of safeguards that guarantee safe transactions. The source of danger is a false friend. The probability of fraud is low if we do not provide passwords and codes to unauthorized persons, and the account and smartphone are properly secured. When using social media, security should be our priority, especially when we are talking about financial transactions. There are certain methods that can help us borrow money safely. First of all, we should always check the profile of the person who is asking for a loan. If the profile looks suspicious, for example it has few photos or lacks information, it may be a sign that something is wrong – says Marta Fila, member of the management board of AIQLabs, owner of the SuperGrosz and "Buy Now – Pay Later" brands.
