Moroccans who fall for scams are usually left in difficult financial and emotional situations.
Rabat – The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has published statistics on fraud and scam cases recorded in the recent years. Fake employment and migration offers are the main scams that Moroccans fall victim to. The statistics appeared in the monthly “Achorta” (Police) magazine of October.
In 2018, DGSN recorded 2,285 cases of scam or fraud that led to the arrest of 3,136 suspects. So far this year, police recorded 1,397 similar cases and the cases led to 982 arrests.
Around 47% of the recorded cases concerned fake migration opportunities, while 18% were fake job offers. Additionally, online scams represented 9% of the cases.
The directorate also reported that the number of scam and fraud cases increased by 25% between 2015 and 2018.
The magazine stated that there are numerous types of fraud in Morocco. Fake advertisements, invalid cheques, and lotteries are among the most common scams.
People who commit these criminal acts usually contact their victims either directly, by phone, email, or on websites designed specifically to retrieve sensitive information from the victims.
The DGSN also cited a scam, known as “Samawi,” as one of the most frequent scams.
Arnaque à la samaoui ! Ça vous dit quelque chose! Méfiez-vous des fqihs qui arrivent de nulle part devant votre porte ! Ne vous laissez pas berner !!! pic.twitter.com/2K8NDb4AIj
— DGSN MAROC (@DGSN_MAROC) October 28, 2019
“Samawi” scammers target victims with superstitious beliefs. They present themselves as saints with supernatural powers, and convince their victims to give them all their valuables. The victims, usually left in a state of hypnosis and confusion, do not realize that they have been scammed until the culprits have already disappeared.
According to the magazine, losses caused by scam and fraud all over the world are estimated at trillions of dollars every year.
The majority of these acts target individuals rather than organizations, and leave their victims facing severe consequences such as depression.
Finally, the DGSN assured that they have teams trained to investigate and deal with scam cases, along with technological tools that can help arresting the suspects.
