Slovenian police bust online scams that stole €46,000 from two victims

The Police Department of Celje in Slovenia is handling two separate online fraud cases that together cost victims €33,600 and €12,970. In both incidents the perpetrators convinced the victims to install mobile applications (named MEET and HopTo Desk) after clicking a link sent via email or message. Once installed, the apps gave the fraudsters remote access to the victims’ transaction accounts, allowing them to withdraw large sums.

One victim, a man from Šmarje pri Jelšah, reported that after the app was installed he received numerous suspicious calls and, despite blocking the account through a call‑center, discovered the €33,600 loss at the bank. The second victim, a woman from the Mozirje area, was tricked into believing she was entitled to a €9,000 profit from a company called Covertrade; after installing the second app, fraudsters transferred €12,970 across three transactions. Police have logged over 200 calls from the public about the scams and are warning citizens against installing unknown applications that request banking access.