Fraudsters are blackmailing Luxembourg residents while posing as Europol
Brett Jordan, Unsplash
A malicious campaign is circulating online that uses forged documents purporting to be from Luxembourg’s law enforcement agencies. The attackers are sending emails disguised as official notifications from the ‘General Directorate of the Railway Police’ (Generaldirektorat vun der Bunnspolice) and Europol. The documents feature the names of real officials, such as Police Director General Pascal Peters and Prosecutor John Petry, in an attempt to lend credibility to the forgery.
The letters are written in a confrontational legal tone and contain references to sections of the Luxembourg Criminal Code. The recipient is informed that they have allegedly become the subject of investigation number 2021/873 following a ‘cyber infiltration’ via the PHAROS system. The fraudsters make a number of serious allegations:
- Child pornography;
- Paedophilia;
- Expositionalism (exhibitionism);
- Cyberpornography;
The victim is threatened with immediate arrest, inclusion on the national sex offenders’ register and disclosure of their details to the media unless they provide an ‘explanation’ and a copy of their ID by email within 72 hours.
How to spot a fake
Despite the presence of official seals and references to legislation, this document is a classic example of phishing. Several factors point to this:
Method of communication
Tight deadlines
Data request
The Luxembourg police strongly advise against replying to such emails, clicking on any links or sending any documents. If you receive such a message, you should immediately cease all contact with the sender and report the attempted fraud to the authorities via the Guichet.lu portal or your nearest police station.
