The National Union of Romanian Bars (UNBR) warns the public opinion and the professional body of lawyers about the emergence of a new method of deception involving the identity theft of lawyers, especially in the digital environment.
A new case recently reported concerns the use of a lawyer's profile picture and surname to create a fake WhatsApp account, through which people from his circle of acquaintances were contacted with requests for money. After the attempt was discovered, the phone number used was monitored, and the cybercriminal continued to change his identity, successively using the image of three other people, one of whom is also a fellow lawyer.
In all cases, the perpetrators of these frauds used publicly available online data, such as profile photos, first names or personal information found on social networks or professional websites, to create credible fake accounts and mislead the interlocutors.
UNBR considers this type of practice extremely dangerous, as it seriously affects the public's trust in the legal profession and exposes both lawyers and citizens to serious risks.
We strongly recommend:
- Do not follow up on requests for money coming through messaging applications, without direct and telephone verification of the person's identity.
- Immediately report any suspicious attempt both to the competent authorities (Police, DIICOT) and to UNBR or the bar association to which the colleague concerned belongs.
- Lawyers should periodically check if their identity is being used fraudulently online and inform their colleagues in case of suspicions.
UNBR will continue to monitor these cases and collaborates with the authorities in order to identify and hold accountable those involved in such acts.
Please remain vigilant and do not hesitate to report such incidents to the email address: sesizari@unbr.ro
Taken from the UNBR website
