Sandu urges vigilance as scams cost Moldovans €408,000 this week
Moldovan President Maia Sandu urged citizens to exercise extreme caution following a dramatic surge in financial fraud. The state cannot guarantee total protection against sophisticated financial scams, Sandu warned, noting that recovering stolen funds is exceptionally difficult when operations are orchestrated from abroad.
The warning comes as national police reported that scammers defrauded citizens of over €408,000 (approx. 8 million MDL) this week alone.
Citizens must be very careful. When it comes to their money, they have to think a hundred times, to check a hundred times before giving this money to anyone. And even if we see better communication from institutions lately through which people are informed, and are warned about these risks, statistics show that there are still many people who fall into these traps. I just want to repeat the request to people who understand these risks, to talk to their family members, to talk to neighbors, to friends, because that is how information reaches more people. Not everyone follows the page of the Police or other institutions, but we can help those in our families, especially when it comes to older people who are less initiated in these operations, the head of state declared during the "Jurnal Politic" podcast.
Sandu stressed that citizens must remain highly vigilant, avoid falling into traps, and refuse to transfer money under suspicious circumstances.
Let's not fall into these traps if someone called us and asked for money, let's say 'thank you, I'll get back to you' and after that let's take the phone number we were called from, consult with someone, with children, if we are talking about older people who already have adult children, with relatives, with the mayor, with people we trust. Let's check ten times before making a payment, let's not believe. I understand there are now also scams where people are asked to pay fines for traffic violations and some people might believe they broke traffic rules, but do not make payments before checking a few times if it is a correct account and not a scam account. The state will not be able to protect 100%. It is very hard to recover the money, especially since many of these schemes are organized from outside the country where the police and other institutions do not have the possibility to intervene and sanction. Therefore, maximum vigilance, it is very sad what is happening and it is a bit surprising for me to see that there are so many people who so easily give money without documenting themselves, Sandu concluded.
The head of state added that while several people in her immediate circle have been targeted by telephone fraud attempts, she has not personally received such calls or text messages.
Separately, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu expressed deep concern over the situation. Grosu stated he was stunned by how easily citizens withdraw their entire life savings from banks following a single phone call to hand them over to complete strangers.
The General Inspectorate of Moldovan Police has urged the public to never disclose personal data, avoid clicking suspicious links, and verify any urgent financial requests by calling the emergency services at 112.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
