Bulgarian authorities have reported the first case of fraud linked to the upcoming euro adoption. The Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) confirmed that a woman was deceived through an online platform, losing money under the pretext that her funds would be converted from leva to euro. More details are expected from the Directorate later today.

According to initial reports, a 40-year-old woman transferred 5,000 leva to a platform account after being misled that this step was necessary for the currency conversion. The Directorate of Anti-Money Laundering and Counterfeiting stated that the fraud had been uncovered and that the perpetrators were foreign nationals.

Commissioner Vladimir Dimitrov, Director of Cybercrime at the GDBOP, explained that the victim was contacted via a widely used encrypted communication application. The fraudsters, whose profile was linked to a phone number from an Asian country and displayed the logo of the victim’s platform, threatened that her funds would be lost if she did not transfer them to a specified business account. Following the phishing instructions, the victim made multiple payments, after which the application was effectively “taken over” by the fraudsters.

Commissioner Dimitrov noted that the total sum of 10,000 leva was subsequently redirected by the fraudsters to cryptocurrency platforms, other online payment services, and payments for household bills and services.

The GDBOP issued a warning to the public to remain vigilant against similar schemes, especially regarding any actions associated with currency conversion connected to the euro’s introduction in Bulgaria. Commissioner Dimitrov emphasized that all legitimate currency conversion will be conducted exclusively through the Bulgarian National Bank, commercial banks, and Bulgarian Posts. Any instructions received via text messages, applications, or emails should be considered fraudulent, as there is an official national procedure in place for the euro conversion process.