Croatian investors lose €80,000 in fraud; police warn of rising scams

A series of financial frauds have hit Croatian citizens, resulting in losses of tens of thousands of euros. A 58‑year‑old man from Bjelovar was duped by a fake investment platform and lost about €80,000 after being persuaded to make multiple payments, including a later request for a “crypto‑wallet tax” that drained another €47,000. A 73‑year‑old man, previously scammed of €500,000 in a cryptocurrency scheme, was again tricked into sending €47,000 through a QR‑code‑linked bank transfer. Similar cases were reported in Dubrovnik, where an elderly victim was swindled out of €4,000 by fraudsters posing as investment agents.

Police across Croatia have issued repeated warnings about online and messaging‑app scams. Threats include fake WhatsApp messages that request verification codes, SMS phishing that mimics bank notifications, and impostor calls claiming to be police officers or bank employees. The police advise citizens never to click suspicious links, to use two‑step verification, and to verify any financial request through official channels.

The wave of fraud extends beyond Croatia, with reports of comparable scams in Serbia, Japan, Montenegro, and Turkey, highlighting a broader regional problem of increasingly sophisticated investment and messaging fraud.