How did the fraud occur?

An unknown person sent the victim an SMS with a link to a fake classified ads page, where he entered his banking details.

How much money was stolen?

More than 3,800 euros were unauthorizedly withdrawn from the 49-year-old's account.

What does the police advise?

The police warn that banking details should not be entered on suspicious websites and that the CVV/CVC card code is not needed to receive a payment.

Where can one check if a website is fake?

CARNET's National CERT offers the CERT iffy service at iffy.cert.hr, where the authenticity of an online store can be verified.

Croatia

Ad for a Bag Turns into a Loss of 3,800 Euros: Here's How a 49-Year-Old Was Scammed

B.G. · 04. 08. 2026. | 2 min

The Osijek-Baranja Police Department again urges caution when entering banking details online.

Summary

A man from Osijek-Baranja County was defrauded of more than 3,800 euros while selling a bag through a classified ads platform.
The scammer sent him a fake link via SMS, which led to the theft of his banking details.
Police warn citizens not to share sensitive banking information on suspicious websites.
The CERT iffy service is available for checking suspicious online stores.

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On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the Osijek-Baranja Police Department reported another case of cyber fraud. The victim is a 49-year-old man from the Osijek-Baranja County, who lost over 3,800 euros while selling a men's bag through an online classifieds platform.

According to the police report, the victim posted an ad for the bag on August 1, 2026. The very next day, August 2, he received an SMS from an unknown person. The message contained a link that appeared to be a legitimate page of the classifieds app where the ad was posted.

Fake Page Instead of Payment

Believing he was communicating with a potential buyer, the 49-year-old opened the link and entered his banking details to receive payment for the sold item. However, it turned out to be a counterfeit website. Subsequently, the unknown person used his details to unauthorizedly withdraw over 3,800 euros from his account.

The police are searching for the unknown perpetrator and have once again issued a warning to citizens. They emphasize that bank card details should not be entered on suspicious websites or in unknown apps. To receive a payment, it is not necessary to enter the card number, its expiration date, or the security CVV/CVC code.

How to Protect Yourself?

More information about cyber fraud and ways to protect yourself can be found on the website webheroj.hr. Additionally, CARNET's National CERT has launched the CERT iffy service, which checks whether an online store shows signs of being a fake site. On the site iffy.cert.hr, users need to enter or paste the store's address and then run the check.