Yes, several people in Lithuania lived for months without suspecting that they were employed not for work at all, says lawyer Evelina Kiznė. According to her, one of the Lithuanian banks recently warned about this scheme.
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The real plan was different
The company manager, according to the lawyer, learned the employees’ electronic banking login details, took out loans in the employees’ names without their knowledge, and transferred the money to himself.
“The deceived people only heard about the debts when creditors demanded repayment,” noted E. Kiznė.
Until the fraud is proven, the creditor considers the debt yours.
The scammer disappears, and you receive payment demands and have to prove that you never saw the money, which must be done through a dispute. According to E. Kiznė, this costs many months of explanations, legal expenses, and a damaged credit history.
According to the lawyer, everything in this story happened secretly, but scammers more often act openly: after employment, a person is asked not for work but for financial actions: credit in their name, a leasing contract, money transfer, or disclosure of bank logins.
It is possible to protect yourself from such loans in advance.
“The Bank of Lithuania administers the ‘STOP consumer credits’ list. Once registered on it, consumer credits in your name can no longer be granted, and any contract still concluded is considered invalid,” said E. Kiznė.
According to her, registration can be done through electronic government gateways.
“However, if you have already shared your logins or noticed a loan taken out in your name, every minute counts:
the bank may still be able to stop a recent payment, so first call them, then report to the police. Many hesitate because they are ashamed of being deceived, but the longer you wait, the fewer chances you have to recover the money,” warned the lawyer.
