Fraudsters send emails from addresses similar to the names of the MNB and György Matolcsy, who use the fake letters to try to extort money from unsuspecting victims, and to achieve this, they cite various excuses, such as bank transfers, job opportunities abroad, package fees.
In the announcement issued by the central bank, it is stated that the MNB does not perform any commercial banking settlement or administration activities directly for residential or corporate customers, and that the damaged customers are advised to contact the police. They added that a complaint will be filed due to the misuse of the name of the MNB, and then highlighted that, in general, non-Hungarian wording and spelling errors can draw attention to the fact that it is a fraud. In the case of reluctant customers, the tone of the letters may even become urgent and aggressive, threatening that if they do not pay the commission, the parties concerned may lose the entire transfer amount.
However, this information is false and does not cover the reality in any way, since the MNB does not directly perform transfer-related administration for consumers, nor does it charge related costs, nor does it request related customer data via email. It has been confirmed that deceptive letters similar to this one have been received before, so some of the current ones are 419 or West African scams, where the senders randomly contact the customer base, typically in large numbers. They recommended that no one respond to such messages, and that the case be reported to the MNB and the police.
Source: MTI
(Header image: YouTube/MNB)
