The Mossos d'Esquadra once again warns about the mirror scam. The Catalan police warn that lately they have been receiving many complaints related to a scam that criminals use to take advantage of unsuspecting drivers and steal their money with a strategy that has been repeated for years.
Through a video published on her social networks, a Mossos agent explains the modus operandi used by thieves to carry out a scam that the Catalan police became aware of for the first time in 2017. Since then, the scam rearview mirror has appeared cyclically on some Catalan roads, usually in the province of Girona - although some cases have also been reported in the Bages region -, since criminals usually use cars with foreign plates and pretend to be returning to their country. .
To perpetrate the deception, scammers execute a plan in which they simulate a traffic accident in which the victim's car is involved. They typically target elderly drivers and deliberately cause a minor collision with their vehicle. At that moment, they allege that the impact has damaged their rearview mirror although in reality it already had the damage prior to the impact.
From that moment on, they ask to initiate the corresponding accident report in a hurry, since they argue that they have to immediately return to their country of origin, which is why they normally use vehicles with foreign license plates.
Once they know the name of the victim's insurance company, the criminals pretend to make arrangements over the phone to find out how they should manage the document. They use the excuse that their car is rented and that they are outside their country to make the alleged communication more credible.
The next step is to get the victim on the phone or provide them with a phone number, supposedly for your company, so that they can call directly and inquire about the necessary procedures. In any case, the victim will end up talking to a person also involved in the deception and who is posing as an employee of the insurance company.
Finally, at this moment they explain to the victim that the processing of the accident report between vehicles from different countries is a slow process that involves a high financial amount. They advise you to expedite the process by paying cash to repair the damage to the mirror and, later, you will recover the money through the insurance.
The criminals offer to accompany the victim to the ATM for money to solve the damage problem and manage to defraud between 1,200 and 1,500 euros, which they say the repair costs. Sometimes, scammers accept a lower amount based on the victim's availability. But you should never give cash because you don't get it back. Paying cash to these strangers is a big mistake that should not be made.
The Mossos d'Esquadra recommend keeping a cool head to avoid falling into the trap, since scammers try to make the victim nervous with all kinds of tricks. Even if criminals insist, we should never give in to pressure to pay cash to unknown people. If you have any questions, it is better to call 112 to report the event. If they manage to scam us, it is advisable to file a corresponding report with the police.
