In Luxembourg, potential scam victims have received text messages from a Filipino phone number claiming they owe an unpaid fine. The sender falsely identified itself as the Grand Ducal Police and demanded payment. In a police bulletin, the authorities stressed that such messages do not reflect official police procedure and that formal notices are always sent by post.
Police also warned that messages appearing to come from Luxembourgish phone numbers with similar demands are equally fake. So-called ID-spoofing makes it possible to display false phone numbers, leading victims to believe that a call or text comes from a Luxembourg mobile number or an official authority, when in fact it does not.
The police point out that the standard advice applies, as with any possible scam. Until it is clear whether a message is genuine or fraudulent, recipients should not give in to pressure but instead contact the "real" sender directly, in this case the police, whose contact details can be found on the police.lu website.
The police are also urging the public to spread the word about the scam, particularly among older citizens.
