A warning from the MFA: beware of fake phone calls!
06.08.2021
Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been receiving reports of phone scams in which fraudsters claim to be either MFA employees or employees of Polish missions abroad in order for call recipients to 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.
Scammers use so-called spoofing, which consists of mimicing phone numbers - in this case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ numbers. It is a practice in which the Ministry is not involved, and it does not suggest that the MFA’s IT security system has been compromised. Calling the MFA (+48 22 523 90 00) and the Ministry’s helpline for citizens (+48 22 250 01 16) to obtain information is still safe.
Fraudsters will, for example, demand your personal details and will persuade you to transfer a specific amount of money through international money transfer companies in order to avoid serious legal consequences.
The employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will never contact Polish citizens or foreign nationals residing 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 that the caller claiming to be MFA’s employee is tricking you into, and especially not to provide your personal details or to make any money transfers. Each act of fraud must be reported to the nearest police station. The 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 the relevant law enforcement agencies.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Office
Photo: MFA