Fraudsters exploit anti-fraud office name
Name of EU anti-fraud office, OLAF, used by fraudsters
International fraudsters are exploiting the name of the European Union’s
anti-fraud office OLAF to extort money through counterfeit requests for payment.
The European Union agency is warning that fake OLAF letters are being sent to
victims accusing them, for example, of having made irregular bank transfers and
violating EU money-laundering legislation.
Bearing a fake OLAF logo and address, the letters then demand a payment to
make amends. ‘OLAF advises (recipients) not to follow any such requests without
verifying their origin and calls on (them) to report any similar suspicious
situations to the police,’ said spokesman Alessandro Butticé.
