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<\/p>\n30 phone calls in just two weeks from 20 different British, Swiss and Hungarian numbers. Our reporter was pushed hard to make incredibly profitable online investments. The calls started after we had found a website where Budapest Mayor Gergely Kar\u00e1csony had shared his secret of getting rich.<\/p>\n
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The news about the Mayor is of course, fake, as is the investment platform linked to it, where we registered. This is also part of a series of scams that Direkt36 wrote about in the spring<\/a> as a member of an international journalistic collaboration involving reporters from more than 15 countries. Scammers deceived hundreds of people worldwide, including Hungarians, and deprived them of their savings. Now the same team of journalists, led by the Swedish Dagens Nyheter<\/a> and the investigative network OCCRP<\/a>, has uncovered how these scammers scout their victims.<\/p>\n After the articles in spring, a source shared 15,000 online ads with Dagens Nyheter that promised fantastic profits to their victims, citing well-known people. Although the advertisements shared by the source were not in Hungarian, Direkt36 found several very similar Hungarian sites online, as well as people who fell victims of scams through such ads. As we dig more and more into the world of fake news ads, we encountered more and more such pages ourselves.<\/p>\n The stories of similar scams frequently elicit reactions that blame the victims, saying anyone who is so gullible deserves to lose their money. But the whole problem is more complicated than the tragedy of deceived people:<\/p>\n To better understand how these scams work, we not only talked to more victims, but also registered on one of the fake news sites, advertising a non-existent crypto investment platform. We spoke to a cyber security expert investigating similar scams, a cybercrime investigator of the Hungarian police, and a source who used to be involved in running a fake investment platform. Reporters of the collaboration also approached Google and Facebook to confront the two companies about the severe consequences of ads running on their sites.<\/p>\n The picture above shows how a typical scam ad looks like. We found it being redirected from a torrent page in the early stages of writing this article. Similar advertisements started appearing on the Hungarian internet around the beginning of this year. This particular ad mimics the website of a Hungarian tabloid called Blikk. There are more professionally made fake ad sites and some of the Hungarian ones we found were still active and promoted on Facebook a few days ago, meaning that they had passed through the company’s filters. The image below seems to show an article of the Hungarian news portal Index, but instead links to an ad misusing the name of Hungarian model Barbara Palvin.<\/p>\n The scam follows a similar logic in most cases and leads through several steps:<\/p>\n A ford\u00edt\u00e1sb\u00f3l itt-ott nyilv\u00e1nval\u00f3, hogy a sz\u00f6veg ford\u00edt\u00f3programmal k\u00e9sz\u00fclt<\/p><\/div>\n The latter shows that sites that collect victim data sell the personal data collected at registration to multiple platforms. Clearly, the system is extremely sophisticated and already involves so many tasks that different groups specialize in each phase. This is also supported by evidence found by other journalists involved in the investigation. These include ads placed on the open internet by people who sell client data for hundreds of dollars to investment call centers (for more details, read OCCRP\u2019s article<\/a>). But the same was confirmed to Direkt36 by Viktor Hal\u00e1sz, an officer of the cybercrime department of the National Bureau of Investigation. According to him, separate groups specialize in collecting data of victims because it is often easier for call centers to pay for the data than to find clients themselves.<\/p>\n After registration, we were called several times from different English, Hungarian and Swiss numbers and offered the services of different investment platforms.<\/p>\n The sophistication of the method is also indicated by the number of people in the fake ads. Among the Hungarian-language advertisements, we found one that advertises the miraculous investment opportunity with Gergely Kar\u00e1csony and Barbara Palvin, and, in the summer, versions using the names of OTP Bank chairman S\u00e1ndor Cs\u00e1nyi and billionaire L\u0151rinc M\u00e9sz\u00e1ros also began to spread. But an ad mimicking the design of the British tabloid Mirror<\/em> featured Hungarian PM Viktor Orb\u00e1n and mentioned coronavirus. This one was in English, thus possibly targeting non-Hungarian supporters of Orb\u00e1n.<\/p>\n S\u00e1ndor Cs\u00e1nyi has filed a complaint (the Budapest Police Headquarters is investigating on the suspicion of fraud causing significant damage), and Gergely Kar\u00e1csony intends to report to the police as well.<\/p>\n Zolt\u00e1n, a young teacher from Western Hungary, also encountered an advertisement using the name of Budapest Mayor Gergely Kar\u00e1csony. He is going through the hardest months of his life, having lost all his savings. Heavily indebted, he even had to sell his house. Zolt\u00e1n saw the ad on Facebook, through which he reached a platform called Bitcoin Revolution.<\/p>\n Zolt\u00e1n told Direkt36 that he felt that the ad was credible because it was on Facebook and referred to Kar\u00e1csony. He quickly registered. His phone rang almost immediately. An English-speaking, very helpful man led him through the process: first, asked for his credit card information and asked him to write \u201cI want to buy bitcoin\u201d on a piece of paper, and then make a selfie holding the paper in front of him. He was then asked to install a program called Anydesk that would allow remote access to Zolt\u00e1n\u2019s computer. Subsequently, Zolt\u00e1n paid \u20ac 250, which seemed to make profit right away: the next day, his balance was already \u20ac 1,000.<\/p>\n Between March 23 and April 8, Zolt\u00e1n paid a total of HUF 12 million, which meant all his savings and an additional HUF 8 million, which he had borrowed from his cousin. The so-called investment advisers always asked him for more and more millions, giving different reasons. For example, \u201cas a guarantee that they will be able to send it back,\u201d or as \u201ccollateral security,\u201d but they also said that the coronavirus situation had brought uncertainty into the financial world. The last message from his so-called financial adviser was downright rude.<\/p>\n \u201cI did my job. From now on, you have to solve your own problems yourself,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n he wrote on the 24th<\/sup> of April. He has not answered any messages or calls since then. Zolt\u00e1n tried one last time in mid-June: \u201cCould you send my money back, please? I have to take care of my son. Please.”<\/p>\n Zolt\u00e1n felt horribly, he hadn’t slept in days. He took a deep breath and told his wife what had happened, who said that he had done a foolish thing but supported him. They tried to do something together. Zolt\u00e1n’s account-holding bank, K&H, did not see an opportunity to get his money back, but directed the man to the police. But the police suspended the investigation weeks after his filing a complaint because they could not identify the perpetrator. The couple sold their family house, paid their debts for the price, and moved from the remainder to a flat in town to \u201cclimb out of the pit\u201d.<\/p>\n “We call it \u20ac 250 scams. In Hungary, about a year and a half ago, reports of defrauded Hungarian citizens began to come from all over the country,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Viktor Hal\u00e1sz, head of the Cybercrime Intelligence Unit of the National Investigation Bureau (KR NNI), told Direkt36. According to Hal\u00e1sz, these scams have multiplied since 2016, when the bitcoin price hit hard and many who started trading in the beginning became wealthy. This year, the epidemic helps fraudsters even more because people spend more time online. \u201cThe [victims\u2019] stories are similar, and the amount of the first deposit is usually \u20ac250, which, among other things, ties them together. This means that the perpetrators are likely to be from the same circle, even if they use different names and company names,\u201d the police officer said.<\/p>\n NNI united the cases in Hungary and started a joint investigation, which shows the seriousness of the problem. Normally, investigation of fraud cases with relatively minor losses belongs to local police stations, and NNI intervenes only in exceptional cases. \u201cWe tend to bring similar cases together only when the phenomenon has grown large, affects many people, and the trend cannot be expected to reverse,\u201d Hal\u00e1sz described the severity of the situation, although he refused to reveal exactly how many cases they were aware of.<\/p>\n According to Hal\u00e1sz, the victims are typically less familiar with the online world, born before the spread of the internet, have little savings, and are often not scammed for the first time. According to the investigation so far, the fraudsters are mainly foreigners, mostly from outside the EU.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a text that needs to be learned, and the point is to rip people off,\u201d an Israeli source summed up the essence of the fraud. Four years ago, the source used to work in a call center trying to lure victims from around the world. \u201cWhen you see the text, the hair will stand on the back of your neck [\u2026] Just imagine: [people] paying hundreds of thousands of dollars persuaded by phone calls. Hungarians might only pay a thousand or two thousand dollars, but that’s only because they’re so poor. But what about the Canadians, the Germans?\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey register and you have to catch them at the very moment,\u201d the source explained, which is also supported by the experience of Direkt36. One morning we registered on a site called Bitcoin Era, which we reached through an ad featuring Gergely Kar\u00e1csony and imitating the look of Blikk. At the end of the registration, we came to a page called Unitestocks.<\/p>\n [ifr id=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L7fX8eVB-hk” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no” parameters=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/L7fX8eVB-hk”]<\/p>\n Registration was completed at 8:42 AM. Less than 2 hours later, at 10:33, we were first called from a British number, but we did not answer that call. 27 minutes later we were called again from another British number, but we didn’t answer that either, which did not seem to \u00a0discourage those on the line: the phone rang again at 11:39. We then asked for a callback in the afternoon, which a man introducing himself as Kevin Brown willingly did at 12:04. These are 4 calls in just 3 hours.<\/p>\n The man did not fall out of his role even when we told him in another conversation that we know of several cases where people have been tricked in a similar way. \u201cEverything we\u2019ve talked about so far is a real investment […] every transaction, every transfer, every movement in the market, and transfers from your own account to your investment account as well. It does not matter if it is \u20ac 1 or \u20ac 10,000, everything is checked. You are protected, and [our] company is protected from money laundering,\u201d he explained, not in very good English, but patiently.<\/p>\n [ifr id=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hULD5T1PuTg” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no” parameters=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/hULD5T1PuTg”]<\/em><\/p>\n Not only did Kevin Brown called after registration: three days later, a woman with an impatient tone in her voice called from another UK number and urged to invest. \u201cI am not a customer service manager; I cannot delete your account. My job is to call you when you sign up,\u201d she said, getting nervous. And when we told her we were journalists, she almost shouted, \u201cWhat are you talking about? I will keep calling you. I will keep calling you.\u201d<\/p>\n But fraud doesn\u2019t just depend on them being pushy. According to our source from Israel, the fake ads and the fake news site are excellently designed psychologically.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the time they read through the website, [the clients] are all happy and agitated. The site has evoked emotion,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n the source explained. He found that some clients could hardly wait to pay the first installment when he first called them, while others needed a maximum of 5-10 minutes of persuasion to believe they were in contact with a legitimate broker. Besides, scammers do not easily let go of those who hesitate. Kevin Brown talked to us for ten minutes on the first occasion, then called the next day again to push even further.<\/p>\n It is very difficult to find out who is behind scams like this. Tam\u00e1s Kocsis, an expert with the Hungarian cybersecurity company Alverad Technology Focus Kft., analysed fake ads<\/a> using the name of Hungarian billionaire and banker S\u00e1ndor Cs\u00e1nyi.<\/p>\n Kocsis identified a total of 536 pages that promoted an automated, artificial intelligence-supported trading system, promising fabulous profits, which were using the same unique programming interface. The specialist looked into the network several times in October: new pages were added every day, meaning someone kept creating them. Most URLs still work today.<\/p>\n The police are also struggling with this problem. According to National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NNI) officer Viktor Hal\u00e1sz, the biggest problem with this type of fraud is that it is not very difficult for scammers to hide their traces, and although perpetrators will \u201calways make mistakes\u201d sooner or later, if a fraudulent page is blocked, a new one can be created in five minutes.<\/p>\n The registration platforms (such as Bitcoin Era or Bitcoin Revolution) have been subject of\u00a0 numerous warnings by financial authorities in various countries, including Spain, Malta and Belgium and by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB). In addition, the Italian financial regulator has launched an investigation and found evidence that the data of customers registering on a platform called Bitcoin Revolution has been fed to blacklisted cryptocurrency call centers.<\/p>\n However, it is very difficult to prove a close relationship. The images they’re using and the similarities in the code and structure of the pages are the most direct link, but it is not even clear if the registration pages always direct customers to scammers, or sometimes to actual brokers who do invest the money of their clients.<\/p>\n The exposition of fraud is also made more difficult by the fact that there are also companies that engage in similar activities under legal and truly regulated circumstances. In addition, fraudsters are constantly improving the system, and respond to investigations and reports pertaining to their methods. We have even found a recent ad that also led to one of the fake investment sites, which said \u201cIs Bitcoin Loophole a scam? Here is the whole truth\u201d.<\/p>\n Hungarian-language ads and celebrity news are just a very tiny proportion of the tens of thousands of similar scam sites populating the Internet. These include world-renowned actors, athletes, and public figures (e.g. Jennifer Aniston, Gordon Ramsay, Elon Musk). The British Cyber Security Institute has removed 300,000 of these fake news sites from the internet in four months.<\/p>\n\n
Help us tell the truth in Hungary, become a supporter!<\/a><\/div>\nSimple cheating with a sophisticated method<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n\u201cCould you send my money back, please?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u201eI will keep calling you\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u201cThey are not stupid\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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