Alert: attempted telephone frau

Monaco’s Police Department has received reports of several fraud attempts and one confirmed case of fraud perpetrated by telephone. The scam targets residents of the Principality whose telephone number appears in the directory and who have a first name that suggests they might be elderly.

The person calling introduces themselves as a member of the Monegasque Police Department or other high-level institution in the Principality and, using a false pretext (for example, the risk of a sizeable tax penalty), attempts to extort large sums of money via bank transfer.

It is a well-established scenario: the fraudster opens an overseas bank account in the victim’s name, to whom he then explains how to respond to questions from the bank advisor. The fraudster’s hold over the people contacted is total.

If you receive a similar call, you should be particularly vigilant and refuse to cooperate. You are then advised to immediately contact the Monaco Police Department (93 15 30 15), which will refer you to specialist teams.