Hybrid Scams – A Complex Combination of Different Fraud Methods
Hybrid scams combine multiple types of fraud and methods of contact, such as text messages, emails, phone calls, and websites. The goal is to make the scam so convincing and complex that the victim finds it difficult to identify it as fraudulent.
Hybrid scams often target banking information and involve contact under the guise of fake authorities or banks.
How Do Hybrid Scams Work?
A hybrid scam might begin with an innocent-looking text message claiming that the victim’s account has been used without authorization.
Next, the victim receives a phone call urging them to act quickly: for example, they may be told to transfer money to a “secure account” or provide their bank credentials to a “bank official” who claims to ensure the account’s safety. (In reality, the “bank official” is a scammer, and money transferred to the “secure account” is sent on to criminals.)
Scammers may take on multiple roles during the same scam, such as pretending to be a bank customer service representative and a security expert.
Hybrid scams may involve:
- Investment Scams: Scammers may claim to offer investment advice, such as in cryptocurrency, and encourage victims to transfer money to fraudulent accounts.
- Romance Scams: Scammers pose as romantic interests online and later request money for false reasons, such as medical expenses or travel costs.
How to Protect Yourself from Hybrid Scams
- Never share your banking credentials or personal information in suspicious messages or calls.
- Always verify the authenticity of the contact before taking any action. Use only official channels. For instance, visit your bank’s or authority’s website by typing the address directly into your browser rather than using a search engine to find the service.
- Avoid clicking links in messages or calling numbers mentioned in them. Always go directly to the provider’s official website.
Hybrid Scams – A Case Study Combining Romance and Investment Scams
Pekka met Lisa on an online dating site. Lisa lived abroad, but despite the distance, they began chatting, and soon Pekka found himself falling in love. Lisa also showed affection, sending Pekka many sweet voice messages, photos, and even videos of herself.
As their conversations continued, they began discussing the possibility of a future together. Early on, Lisa had mentioned her brother’s success with cryptocurrency investments and suggested that she and Pekka could open an investment account together as a nest egg for their shared future. Pekka agreed, and with Lisa’s brother’s guidance, they opened an account on a recommended online platform and started saving modestly each month.
Lisa had substantial savings to invest and soon pressured Pekka to invest more, claiming it would show his commitment to their future. Pekka complied, and money accumulated in the investment account. The couple dreamed of buying a house in Lisa’s home country, with Lisa even sending pictures of properties for sale and discussing interior design plans with Pekka.
One day, Lisa messaged Pekka, explaining that a Finnish acquaintance of hers would soon transfer money to his account, which he should then forward to their investment account. Lisa claimed to be traveling and unable to access the investment platform herself, so she asked for her friend’s assistance. Pekka was about to follow her instructions when his friend Matti, who was visiting, warned him that this could be money laundering.
Pekka told Matti everything about Lisa, and Matti began to suspect she was a scammer. Pekka showed Matti the pictures and videos Lisa had sent to prove she was real, but Matti, who was tech-savvy, explained that they could all be created using artificial intelligence.
At first, Pekka didn’t believe Matti and messaged Lisa to ask for clarification. Lisa angrily berated Pekka and insisted she was real. But later that evening, when Pekka decided to check their shared investment account’s balance, he found the platform no longer existed. Pekka realized Matti had been right. In addition to losing money, he was devastated by the realization that their future together was nothing more than an illusion created by AI and deception.
This story is fictional but based on phenomena familiar to Victim Support Finland.
If you wish to invest money online, always thoroughly research the service’s reliability. Do not trust advertisements or recommendations from acquaintances.
If you are asked to receive money from a stranger’s account and transfer it elsewhere, it’s a clear warning sign. Scammers often use victims for money laundering, disguising the origins of funds stolen from other victims. Money laundering is a crime.
Artificial intelligence can now create very convincing text, images, and audio. The person you meet online may not be who they appear to be.