Police Warn: Fake MUP Emails Threaten Arrest
The Varaždin Police Department has received multiple reports of a phishing campaign in which senders impersonate the Ministry of the Interior.
The Varaždin Police Department has received multiple reports of a phishing campaign in which senders impersonate the Ministry of the Interior.
A legal proceeding has been initiated against you for child pornography on the internet, reads an email that many citizens have received in recent days, with senders falsely posing as the Ministry of the Interior. Along with the notice of proceedings, the message demands an urgent response and simultaneously threatens arrest, which has caused serious fear and discomfort among many recipients.
The Varaždin Police Department announced that its officers have received multiple reports from concerned citizens who have been targeted by this campaign. Unknown senders, therefore, not only fabricate a fictitious criminal prosecution but also escalate it with the threat of immediate arrest, counting precisely on panic as a lever for further manipulation.
The police have issued an unequivocal instruction to anyone who receives such an email. "We take this opportunity to draw citizens' attention to delete such messages and in no case send money to the senders," they said from the Varaždin Police Department, adding that victims of a criminal offense should file a report at the nearest police station.
This is, they explain, a so-called phishing campaign, preparatory actions designed with a single goal: to extort money or personal data under the guise of official communication. It is enough to delete the message and not respond to it, the police emphasize, thereby dismissing any notion that ignoring it could have legal consequences.
However convincing it may sound, a message that demands an urgent response, threatens sanctions, or requests payment is almost certainly an attempted fraud. State institutions never communicate with citizens in this manner, especially not regarding the initiation of criminal proceedings. This very discrepancy between form and content is the first alarm that should trigger a red flag for the recipient.
Citizens who have already fallen victim to a similar scam are urged to report the case without delay. A quick reaction, the police say, can prevent further abuse and protect other potential victims from the same trap.
