Online scams exploiting personal contacts surge in Romania In a recent police report, a third of all fraud cases in Romania were traced to online scams, with numbers doubling over the past four years. Cyber‑criminals use messages that appear to come from friends or couriers, tricking victims into transferring money. A woman named Cristina lost tens of thousands of lei after a friend’s compromised WhatsApp account sent her a request for funds, followed by a link that gave the fraudster control of the account. Another victim, Cristi, paid 200 lei for a concert ticket after being lured by a suspicious seller on Facebook; the transaction was later blocked and the money was unrecoverable. Authorities warn that the ease of sending a single message can turn into a financial trap, urging caution when asked for money by anyone claiming to be a close contact.

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