1/1/2024–|Last updated: 1/1/202412:23 AM (Mecca time)
An investigation by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper shed light on some fraudsters in Israel exploiting the ongoing war in Gaza to practice types of fraud, including blackmailing the elderly under the pretext of using their bank accounts to “transfer money to terrorism in Gaza,” and impersonating government agencies providing aid against the backdrop of the war. To obtain details of Israeli bank accounts, steal money under the pretext of selling CDs to “kidnapped persons,” impersonate relatives of kidnapped persons, and other types of electronic fraud.
The investigation prepared for the newspaper by Lior Ohana, entitled “Shameless Fraudsters: People Who Exploit War to Commit Fraud,” stated that two months ago, Sergeant Shir Bar, an investigator in the Tel Aviv District Police, received complaints of types that she had not encountered during the eight years in which she worked as an investigator. Such as selling CDs for the kidnapped people via several WhatsApp groups, and pledging to transfer money as a contribution to the families, but the money paid disappears.
“I serve in the anti-fraud department in Tel Aviv, where crimes occur in all areas,” the newspaper quoted the sergeant as saying, adding, “At the end of October, we started receiving complaints that shocked us all. At a time when the entire country is supporting Everyone fights, and the families of the kidnapped embrace it. We have received complaints against people who posted a link through which CDs can be purchased for 40 shekels, and donations to the kidnappers’ association. Then the people disappear, and the CDs never arrive.”
Captain Barr says: “It was not easy to reach the perpetrators and the investigation was very complicated. They used sophisticated methods.”
A satirical exploitation of war
The newspaper explained that this case is only the tip of the iceberg of a phenomenon that has been discovered in recent months, which is a cynical exploitation of war to commit fraud and deceive citizens, such as impersonating the official state agencies that are alleged to be providing government aid, the Bank of Israel and other banks, the police, and organizations supporting the Israeli army, Magen David Adom, and most notable of all, impersonating the main headquarters of the kidnappers.
The identity of Yifat Seiler, a relative of a family who has been detained by Hamas for nearly 3 months, was impersonated to request donations from people on behalf of her family in order to work on their return, and the matter was transferred to an investigation in the center area.
This is not the only case, as the newspaper published a group of cases in which relatives of some of the kidnapped persons were subjected to this type of fraud and actually transferred money.
The newspaper reveals that there are other cases of fraudsters pretending to be evacuees from the north and south, saying that they have faced many financial difficulties since the war and requesting financial assistance on social media platforms. In a group of recently revealed cases, citizens fell into the trap because they wanted to donate and support, and they transferred amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands of shekels to these scammers.
The newspaper also quotes some elderly people who cannot speak Hebrew, their story about being exposed to another type of fraud, by presenting themselves as police investigators, then summoning them, interrogating them, and managing to steal approximately one hundred thousand shekels, after threatening them that they are on a list. Citizens who transfer money to Palestine and “support terrorism.”
The newspaper adds that there is another incredible type of cynical war crime, which is the theft of property from the homes of settlers in the Gaza Strip, who were evacuated, or from the homes of the families of the dead and kidnapped. In this context, a cell of criminals from the center of the country was arrested this week in the southern region, stealing dozens of vehicles from displaced families in the first month of the war.
Fraud and data
The newspaper mentions that the mayor of Rishon Lezion, Raz Kenstelich, was also the victim of an indirect impersonation. In a letter sent on his behalf a few weeks ago, it said: “Dear residents of Rishon Lezion, finally, and after a great deal of effort, you are entitled to a one-time grant.” One from the state in the amount of 1,500 shekels per person and not more than 10,000 shekels per family. In addition, each family is entitled to a multi-use credit card with a balance of 3,000 shekels for shopping, and the application can be submitted through the attached link starting from Sunday. Together We will prevail. Best regards, Raz Kinstlikh.” He attached a link to the letter, according to which the residents of Rishon Lezion, who received assistance from the municipality during the war, entered the data this time as well, but they were robbed of thousands of shekels.
The newspaper pointed out that the person who deals around the clock with this type of fraud, especially among older citizens, is Knesset member Merav Cohen from the “There is a Future” party, and she is also the head of the Special Committee for the Treatment of Holocaust Survivors, where the committee held a meeting last Wednesday. Regarding the rise in cases of economic exploitation of Holocaust survivors and the elderly due to the war, bank and police representatives said at the meeting that there has been an increase in such fraudulent acts in recent months.
MK Cohen said that there is an increase in fraud and its severity. “When there are aggressors who take advantage of the fear and anxiety that survivors are experiencing these days, it will be easy to exploit them.”