Chisinau pensioner loses 1.4 million lei in phone scam
A 77-year-old woman in Chișinău lost €69,400 (approximately 1.4 million MDL) after fraudsters posing as police officers convinced her to hand over her life savings over alleged terrorist activity concerns.
Scammers posed as police officers
The suspects contacted the woman by phone and told her that her personal information had been compromised. They warned that she could become involved in terrorist activities unless her money was checked.
Under the pretext of conducting security checks, the fraudsters persuaded her to hand over her entire savings of approximately 1.4 million lei to a courier.
According to the General Inspectorate of Police, the scam took place between October 1 and 10, 2026. However, the victim reported the crime to the authorities only recently.
Police said no new cases of telephone fraud had been registered in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, thanks to citizens' vigilance, another 57 attempted scams were thwarted before victims suffered financial losses.
Fraud losses exceed hundreds of millions of lei
Telephone and online scams have surged in Moldova in recent years, causing increasingly heavy financial losses.
According to figures presented by the General Inspectorate of Police in Parliament, victims lost more than 272 million lei in 2025, over twice the amount reported in 2024, when losses exceeded 130 million lei.
In the first five months of 2026, estimated losses had already reached 157 million lei.
Among the most common schemes are phone calls in which criminals impersonate bank employees, police officers or representatives of other public institutions. Another widespread tactic involves promoting fake investment platforms, including cryptocurrency schemes, that promise quick returns.
Under the pretext of protecting people's savings or preventing financial fraud, victims are manipulated into disclosing banking details, taking out loans, transferring money to accounts controlled by criminals or handing over cash to couriers.
Police urge citizens to remain vigilant and never give money or personal information to unknown callers, regardless of the institution they claim to represent.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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