The General Police Inspectorate (GPI) has launched an information campaign aimed at combating the scam called “the relative involved in the accident”. The campaign will be carried out by disseminating informative messages in various public places, such as shopping malls, public transport, markets and train stations. Also, the citizens will receive text messages on mobile phones. The goal is to educate the population and reduce the number of victims of this type of scam, IPN reports.

“Starting today, you will often hear and read these messages in a series of locations in the capital city and districts of the country. The aim is to prevent the type of scam called “the relative involved in the road accident”, which continues to cause significant financial damage to citizens. The messages are not a reason for panic. They make it easier for our information to reach the potential victims,” reads a press release of the GPI.

The elderly are the target group of this campaign as they most often become victims of this offense.

The police are recording an alarming number of cases where older people are persuaded to give large sums of money to scammers. The most commonly used method involves phone calls by which the victims are informed that a relative had been involved in an accident and that money should be urgently provided. The reasons given include either covering the costs of the victim’s treatment or avoiding legal consequences for the alleged culprit. The amounts requested vary from a few hundred euros to tens of thousands of euros. Scammers take advantage of the vulnerability of older people by creating a fake emergency situation to get money.