In a statement issued this Thursday the PSP alerted drivers in the city of Lisbon to a new scam that has been making itself felt in the capital and which involves false accidents to extort money from drivers.
According to the PSP, the suspects select the victims in the car park and then follow them as they begin their march. After a short time, and according to the statement, the suspects "honk their horns insistently and try to get them to stop and start a dialogue."
Once the dialogue starts, the suspects accuse the victims of having caused damage to their car (whether during maneuvers or by distraction). According to the PSP, the suspects' vehicles already have damage and there are even cases in which they cause damage to the victim's car (a priori) to make the story more credible.
What's the point?
All of this is aimed at extort money from victims , given that, according to the PSP, the suspects “claim to be in a hurry and that they cannot wait for the police or for a friendly declaration to be filled out” proposing instead that the victims give them money to support the repair of the damage they allegedly caused.The police also refer that the scammers exert pressure on the victims trying to intimidate them into giving them money.
Subscribe to our newsletter
What to do?
First of all, the PSP advises Lisbon motorists never to reach an agreement in the event of an accident if someone asks them for money. In addition, it also advises that, whenever a driver is involved in a road accident that they have not noticed, call the authorities to the scene.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel
The PSP also advised that “always take note of the vehicle data (registration, brand, model and color) in which the suspect(s) is (are) transported (when in fraudulent situations, the suspects abandon the place when it is mentioned that the police will be called)”. Also recommending that citizens report the situation if they are victims of fraud or attempted fraud.
According to PSP, since the beginning of the year, 30 scams carried out using this type of action have been recorded, with two suspects having been arrested and nine others identified.
Sources: Observer, Public, TSF.