Investigation Sheds Light on War-time Fraud and Impersonation in Israel
An investigation conducted by the "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper has brought to light the exploitation of the ongoing Gaza conflict by certain fraudsters in Israel. These individuals have committed various forms of deception, including extorting the elderly under the pretense of using their bank accounts for "transferring money to terrorists in Gaza," impersonating governmental bodies that allegedly provide war-related aid to acquire Israeli bank details, and other electronic fraud types such as selling CDs "for the kidnapped" and impersonating their relatives.
In the report titled "Brazen fraudsters: People exploiting the war to commit fraud" composed by Li-or Ohana for the newspaper, it is detailed that for the past two months, Sergeant Shira Bar, an investigator with the Tel Aviv district police, has encountered types of complaints she has not seen in her eight years of service. These include selling CDs for the kidnapped through various WhatsApp groups and promises to transfer money as contributions to their families, but the payments made vanish without a trace.
Names of those detained have been exploited in fraud schemes (Reuters)
Cynical Exploitation of War
The newspaper further clarified that this case is just a tip of the iceberg in a trend uncovered in recent months – the cynical exploitation of the war to perpetrate fraud and deceive citizens. This includes impersonating official state entities claiming to offer government aid, the Bank of Israel, other banks, the police, organizations supporting the Israeli military, and the Magen David Adom. Among the more prominent instances was the impersonation of the main headquarters for the kidnapped.
A situation involved the impersonation of Yifat Zailer, a relative of a family held by Hamas for nearly three months, who solicited donations on behalf of her family for their return. This matter has since been transferred to a central district investigation.
The newspaper also reported other cases where relatives of some kidnapped individuals fell victim to such fraud, with people actually transferring money.
The newspaper reveals that there are other cases of fraudsters posing as people evacuated from the North and the South, claiming financial hardships since the war and seeking financial aid on social media platforms. Citizens fell into the trap, wanting to donate and support, and ended up transferring amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands of shekels to these fraudsters.
Fraud and Data Theft
The newspaper also mentions Rishon LeZion's mayor, Raz Kinstlich, who was a victim of impersonation indirectly. A few weeks ago, in a message sent on his behalf, it read: "Dear residents of Rishon LeZion, finally, after great effort, you are entitled to a one-time grant from the state of 1500 shekels per person and up to 10,000 shekels per family, in addition to which each family is eligible for a multi-purpose credit card with a 3,000 shekel shopping credit. The application can be submitted through the attached link starting Sunday. Together we will prevail, Best regards.. Raz Kinstlich." A link attached, the residents of Rishon LeZion who received assistance from the municipality during the war entered their data again, only to have thousands of shekels stolen.
The newspaper highlights that those who deal round the clock with this kind of fraud, especially among the elderly, include Member of Knesset Merav Cohen from the "Yesh Atid" party and the head of the Special Committee for the Treatment of Holocaust Survivors. Last Wednesday, the committee held a meeting regarding the rise in economic exploitation cases of Holocaust survivors and the elderly due to the war. Representatives from banks and the police reported an increase in such fraudulent activities in recent months.
MK Cohen stated that there has been an increase in the number of fraud cases and in their severity, "When there are attackers taking advantage of the fear and concern that the survivors live through these days, it will be easy to exploit them."
