Balkans see surge in consumer fraud and health supplement warnings

In Serbia, a man named Ivica has publicised a four‑year‑long fraud case in which a self‑styled wood‑work master from Mrčajevac took an advance for materials and then disappeared, with the court issuing a verdict in his absence. In Croatia, OTP Bank warned customers about a campaign of fake SMS messages that mimic official bank notifications and aim to steal personal data. Health authorities in Croatia and Bosnia have issued alerts about risky trends among young people, including the use of unregulated peptide products for weight loss and muscle gain, and the consumption of high‑dose green‑tea‑extract supplements that can cause severe liver damage. In Serbia, a new online phenomenon involving AI‑driven “beauty score” assessments on platforms such as Twitch has raised concerns among psychologists about its impact on teenagers’ mental health. Separate cybersecurity advice from Bosnia highlighted the vulnerability of common PIN codes that follow simple patterns or personal dates, urging users to choose more complex combinations. Finally, experts in Croatia explained how WhatsApp’s linked‑device feature can be abused to spy on conversations, and how users can check and remove unknown linked devices. These incidents collectively underscore rising risks to consumers across the region, spanning financial scams, unsafe health products, and digital privacy threats.