Phone scammers: a fake police officer, bank or State Tax Inspectorate (VMI) employee

A call from an unknown number. A polite, confident voice introduces itself as a police investigator, an employee of a bank's security department or of the tax inspectorate. They say that someone is trying to take out a loan in your name or that your account has been “compromised”, and the money must be protected urgently. An hour later the savings are gone.

Phone scammers are one of the oldest and still most profitable schemes. This article covers how they work, what they say, real cases and what to do if the conversation has already taken place.

How the scheme works

1. The opening. The caller knows your name, sometimes part of your personal identification number or your bank. They got this data from leaked databases or earlier messages.
2. The threat. “A loan is being taken out in your name”, “someone is trying to transfer money from your account”, “your data is being used for a crime”.
3. Authority. The call is “transferred” to another person – an “investigator” or the “bank's head of security”. Sometimes a photo of an ID card is sent.
4. Isolation. You are asked not to tell anyone, because “a secret investigation is under way”, and not to hang up.
5. The action. Transfer money to a “safe account”, give the codes, install remote control software or hand cash to a “courier” who arrives.

Real cases from the police reports

• Kaunas, October 2026. A woman born in 1942 was called by persons who introduced themselves as a tax inspectorate employee and a police officer and fraudulently obtained 10 000 € from her.
• Vilnius, October 2026. A woman born in 1944 filled in a survey form on a social network. She was contacted by persons who introduced themselves as “personal data and property protection specialists” and swindled her out of 20 000 €.
• Vilnius county, February 2026. Persons who introduced themselves as police officers fraudulently obtained 6 500 €, which was handed to an unknown person who arrived.

The second example is important: the call does not always come “out of nowhere”. Sometimes it is triggered by a form, a competition or an ad where you left your phone number.

Phrases that give a scammer away

How to protect yourself

• Hang up. It is not rude – it is safe.
• Call yourself on the official number that you find on your bank card or on the institution's website.
• Agree on a rule in the family: no transfers after a call until it has been talked over with a family member.
• Talk to your parents and grandparents. Older people are the most frequent target of this scheme.
• The number on the screen proves nothing – it can be forged.

Frequently asked questions