MFA warns: beware of fake phone calls!
16.08.2021
Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been receiving reports of phone scams in which fraudsters claim to be either MFA’s employees or employees of Polish missions abroad to get the call recipients perform certain actions, especially money transfers. Usually, during the phone conversation scammers will inform you that you have failed to follow certain procedures or provided partial or false data while filling out forms, which will allegedly bring about legal consequences.
It should be explained that scammers use the so-called spoofing, which consists in mimicing any phone number - in this case the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ numbers. It is a practice the Ministry has nothing to do with. It neither means MFA’s IT security system has been hacked. Telephoning MFA (+48 22 523 90 00) and the Ministry’s helpline for citizens (+48 22 250 01 16) to obtain information is still safe.
The fraudsters will demand your personal details, for instance. They will also persuade you to transfer a specific amount of money through international money transfer companies so that you could avoid serious legal consequences.
The employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will never contact Polish citizens or foreign nationals staying in Poland with such intentions. Particularily, they will not request your detailed personal data via phone or money transfers.
We urge you, in such instances, not to take any action whatsoever the caller claiming to be MFA’s employee is tricking you into, especially, not to provide your personal details or make any money transfers. Each act of fraud must be reported to the nearest police station. Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be informed via e-mail at the following address: rzecznik@msz.gov.pl.
Please be informed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports all attempts of fraud to relevant law enforcement agencies.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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