'Date me' scam beware of this new scourge that is spreading

A new scam has claimed two victims in the Gers department. This scam is called “meet theft”.

Although little known, the “meeting flight” is a very effective scam . Here are some tips to guard against it.

The way scammers operate

A scam called “meet theft” rages in the Gers department . In the past week alone, two of its inhabitants were scammed .

For information, the 'meeting flight' is a scam that aims to steal money from a cashier of an establishment . To do this, the scammer plays on emotions and performs a very well-crafted sleight of hand.

Here is how the scammer proceeds. To pay for your order, he purposely uses a ticket of great value . The reason ? He wants to push the cashier to give him change with as many banknotes as possible .

When he receives his change, he complains that there are too many tickets . So he asks his interlocutor to give him back the first one. At that moment, he slips a few bills of the change that has been returned to him into his bag, then give the rest to the cashier .

As there are often a lot of banknotes, the latter does not have time to count and thinks that the customer has returned everything to him .

The cashier then returns the first ticket to the scammer. And this one gives him another of equal value to what he has to pay . Once the transaction is done, the scammer leaves, letting the cashier believe that nothing abnormal has happened.

The 'meeting flight' is a scam that has already claimed many victims . Among the people who have already been scammed is a Bagnolais trader.

One evening in 2020, the seller had the sum of 90 euros stolen by an unscrupulous man . Since then, he has not ceased to warn his congeners.

How to guard against it?

Increasingly widespread in France, the “meet-me-up flight” is used by a large number of scammers . For this reason, you have to be careful and be on your guard all the time.

If you are a cashier in an establishment, take note of these tips , as they will help you avoid the scam.

• always keep an eye on the tickets especially when they are in the hands of customers. Sometimes, a minute of inattention is enough for the scammer to fool you.
• Never cash the money before giving change. This will help you not to be mistaken about the sum to be return in case of new transactions .
• Never return a ticket received unless you confirm that there was indeed an error.
• Say out loud the value of the change you are giving back. In this way, the customer cannot deceive you by pretending not to have received enough.
• Keep the notes you receive in hand and only cash them at the end of the transaction.
• Don't be intimidated by the customer. To make you lose your means, he can play on your emotions by causing a scandal .
• In case of scam, do not hesitate to call 17.

Note that scammers often choose employees who seem less experienced to them . They also prefer act during peak periods .

The fake tech support scam

Like the “meet me theft”, the fake tech support scam is very effective . It is more famous than the first and can cost up to several hundred euros.

To put this scam into practice, the criminals proceed as follows . They trick their victim by sending them a message on their computer. In this message, they inform of a malfunction of the machine and prompt the user to repair .

Of course, nothing they say is true. It's just a plan they have in place to gain their target's trust. When this last thinks that his computer is indeed damaged , this is where he falls into the trap.

The scammer can indeed take money from him when there is nothing to fix . In the worst case, he can also steal his personal data and empty his bank account.

As you can see, you have to be very careful. When you receive this type of message on your computer, please double check before replying . Also, only approach if you are sure that it is indeed a Microsoft technician.

Source : Ladepeche