Scammers look for victims on online dating sites, social networks or by sending emails. They use a fictitious identity to introduce themselves and contact people with whom they have made contact, after a while the scammers start asking for help, for example, stating that there is an emergency that requires him/her to buy plane tickets to visit a "loved one", such as they are also often asked to pay the costs of moving, they are often asked to help when their health deteriorates, and to transfer money supposedly for treatment. Fraudsters can also come up with other reasons to try to cheat money.

Phishing is a form of fraud in which the customer is tricked by various means, such as email. through letters, text messages, phone calls or by manipulating the search results of Internet search engines (such as Google or Bing), forcing you to enter your personal online banking or payment card details on websites created by fraudsters or to say them during a telephone conversation. Fraudsters use the received data to:

• when making purchases and paying for them by the person who transmitted the information about the access codes;
• with the funds in the account or using intercepted login data, transfers funds from the victim's account to the accounts of third parties.

Fraudsters can create fake online banking sites or online stores. Such sites usually look very similar to the original. Scammers distribute links to these fake sites via email. by mail, text messages or by submitting them in the results of an internet search engine (eg Google search engine). email letters and text messages are usually sent under the name of the bank, asking to click on a link because, for example, it is necessary to read an important message, block a payment or change bank login details.

Sometimes a scammer places a malicious link that can look like an advertisement on an Internet search engine (such as Google or Bing) so that it appears as the first search result. A person clicks on a link to a fake website and is taken to a phishing website that looks identical to the service provider's original website.

In order to defraud data, fraudsters send messages in the name of state institutions, companies or well-known online portals, such as the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI), Lithuanian Post, companies providing courier services or other institutions. When calling, they introduce themselves as representatives of the aforementioned institutions. Fake text messages or e-mails from the aforementioned institutions or institutions. through emails, residents are sent malicious links that they are encouraged to click on. Such messages purport to be invitations to verify payable taxes, complete customs formalities, or view documents allegedly related to legal proceedings. After clicking on the link, the person is directed to a fraudulent website where they are asked to enter their online banking login details. If fraudsters succeed in extracting such information, this information is used to embezzle personal finances (by making transfers to third-party accounts), may attempt to take out a loan or purchase on installments in the victim's name, so it is very important to pay attention to what action is being asked to be confirmed by pop-up messages on your device . Approve only those transactions and actions that you initiated and want to complete. If a pop-up message on your device makes you suspicious, don't enter any data. 

In the ways described above, fraudsters can also obtain the data needed to activate Google Pay and Apple Pay payment methods. Pretending to represent a state institution, company or portal, fraudsters invite people to click on a link so that, for example, the person allegedly receives a package addressed to him or pays an allegedly imposed administrative penalty. After opening the provided link, users are asked to enter their payment card details and Google Pay or Apple Pay activation code. This deceptive process allows fraudsters to link your payment card to their device's Google Pay or Apple Pay wallet in order to make unauthorized transactions.

Scams aimed at sellers, rather than buyers, are also becoming popular. In these cases, rather than posing as a seller, the scammer pretends to be a buyer and contacts the seller about purchasing a product via courier. Typically, the scammer sends a link to a website pretending to be from a legitimate courier, like DPD or Omniva, which asks the recipient to enter their card details. In this case, you must pay attention to where the link takes you, check the web address, and think critically about the amount and type of information requested of you. We also recommend that sellers organise their own delivery, rather than clicking on links sent by strangers. We recommend that both buyers and sellers use trusted delivery services and look sceptically at unfamiliar services, checking whether they truly exist, reading reviews etc.

Our customers are currently reporting that they have received calls in Russian claiming to be from the police informing them of a suspicious transaction in their account or a loan taken out in their name. If necessary, a second person will join the call, or the customer will receive a second call, claiming to be a bank employee and confirming what the fake police employee is saying. They will then ask the customer to complete actions using Smart ID or MobileSCAN, or to give them their online banking log in or card details.

Scammers will post a loan offer on social media with a very good interest rate. To apply for the loan, they will ask the victim to give them their online banking access details or payment card information, under the pretence that this is necessary for evaluating the victim’s creditworthiness or verifying their identity. Loan fraud is also often committed without access to online banking or card details, because the victims themselves transfer money to the scammers’  account. In this case, the scammers will ask the victim to make various payments in order to process the loan, for example, as a contract processing fee or loan insurance payment, or as a deposit for the loan. These transfers are most often made to a private individual’s overseas bank account, rather than to a business.

Fraudsters pretend to be employees of financial brokerage companies or banks and offer extremely profitable investments in stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies or elsewhere. They ask you to install software (like Anydesk, etc.) to invest, or simply ask you to transfer money to scam accounts. Scammers often create websites where the victim can watch "growing profits" as the supposed success encourages them to invest more and more.

So far, all cases of investment fraud follow a scheme where the customer receives a phone call with the "best offer of the age" to invest and profit. The proposer usually speaks only Russian, although recently Lithuanian is also spoken more and more often. The phone numbers that are called are either randomly selected or taken from an illegally obtained database. Elderly people are often the victims of these scams, and quite often there are cases where customers take out quick loans and even want to take out a bank loan to take advantage of this opportunity to earn money.

It is also possible to single out entities that do not have the right to engage in financial and investment activities, as well as entities that provide illegal financial services. More information about entities that do not have the right to provide financial (including investment) services in Lithuania, as well as information about websites offering illegal financial services , can be found on the website of the Bank of Lithuania. It is also one of the tools that will allow you to identify unauthorized activities that can cause you harm. 

Fake prepayment scams are also currently popular. Scammers offer a product on social media or through selling websites, and ask the buyer for advance payment, but do not deliver the product. These types of scams work well for products which people are in need of, like wood pellets, briquettes and firewood, and are offered at a particularly good price. The victim, wanting to save money, replies to the offer and is caught out by the scammers. Fake prepayments are similar to fake invoices, which are issued in the name of a company. This company may really exist, but the company’s true bank account details are replaced with the scammer’s details.

Also, fake lotteries, which are organized by fraudsters under the guise of a well-known organization or company, have not disappeared. For example, a person is told that they are a winner and must first verify their identity by making a token payment in order to receive a prize.

If you have received such a request, in any case, it is necessary to make sure whether the permit number of a specific lottery is indicated, whether it is registered in Lithuania; in case of doubt, it is worth contacting the Gambling Supervision Service at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania, more information here. Be especially wary of asking for a payment to verify your identity, emphasizing that this is required by the company's rules - this is likely to be a scam.

Separately, we can also mention the operators of illegal gambling activities, whose activities can also be associated with separate cases of fraud. Using the services of illegal gambling organizers also risks falling into the traps of fraudsters. You can find more information about illegal gambling operators here.

Fake job offer scams are still active. Scammers will pretend to be bank employees, call and offer a job based on advertisements posted by those looking for work. To pretend to verify your identity, the caller asks you to open a bank account and pass on your online banking login details. We have also identified a scheme where the scammers call the victim via video call and ask them to show their ID documents to the camera. In this manner, the scammers gain access to the victim’s information, and the account is used as a transit account to transfer money scammed from other people, while passport information is used to apply for loans etc. You must be careful when posting job-seeking advertisements. Remember that your account access data should be known only by you, and bank employees will never ask for it.
 

Using direct communications online and fake profiles, scammers often use moving, dramatic stories and requests claiming to be from people needing financial support, thus convincing people to transfer money and help those in need.