Hungarian police powerless against online scammers? 64-year-old Hungarian woman lost all her savings

This story concerning online scammers is not unique: many people, usually elderly and easily influenced, who are unaware of the specifics of a particular investment, are targeted. These individuals often have some savings they hope to grow for the benefit of their children or grandchildren. However, it always turns out that the promised investment is inaccessible, and they are pressured to pour in more and more money. In the case of a 64-year-old woman, online scammers managed to extract around 120 million forints, yet the investigation has made little progress after a year and a half.

Elderly, trusting Hungarians falling victim to online scammers in our country

A frightening case was recently reported by Blikk, which detailed the story of Ilona—an account far from isolated—who became the victim of an exceptionally cruel and high-value online scam. While she is desperately trying to recover her money, the police appear powerless against a company registered on a small Pacific island, Webinar Universe. Despite numerous exposés about this company, their website remains fully operational, and the “investments” they offer are easily accessible to anyone.

Ilona first encountered them four years ago and thought it was a good idea to start with small investments, which essentially bought her online lessons, though she believed she was purchasing cryptocurrency. The amounts she invested steadily increased as she kept getting calls offering sensational “bombshell investments,” which she accepted in the hope of growing money for her children and grandchildren. The scammers promised her an astonishing quadruple return, which she believed.

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Although her family continuously warned her that she should stop and that what she was being told wasn’t realistic in the slightest, Ilona carried on. She transferred increasing amounts of money abroad to foreign bank accounts and paid cash by post, supposedly for plastic cards, tablets, and investments.

The police got nowhere

The trouble began when she wanted to withdraw some money. The “investors” told her she needed to send even more money if she wanted to access her funds or that she couldn’t withdraw anything because the deadline had supposedly “expired.” According to her family, Ilona knew nothing about this business and still doesn’t, but she invested her entire savings, including her retirement nest egg, the value of houses, and holiday homes.

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She is now chasing her money because accepting that it is lost would likely drive her mad, explains one of her children. The police were informed last June, but according to her family, the investigation has made no progress despite the calls coming from Hungarian phone numbers linked to Ilona. They themselves discovered the only suspect with the help of a private investigator, leading to a summons and searches of his phone and laptop. The police say the investigation is ongoing. “The police have tried multiple times to close the case, but the prosecution keeps sending it back, insisting they continue the investigation,” added one of her children.

Hope keeps the woman, close to retirement, going

Ilona can only hope to recover at least part of her money; otherwise, at 64 years old, she won’t be able to retire and will have to work for years more. Working in the hospitality sector means her pension won’t be much more than a few hundred thousand forints.

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Even under these circumstances, she is afraid to reveal her face or full name, fearing for her mental health because of her children and grandchildren. Yet she clings to the hope that perhaps she wasn’t completely scammed, as the company has been operating for years and surely would have been reported already. Moreover, they provide services in several languages, suggesting a well-organised international operation. According to Blikk, the Hungarian National Police Headquarters (ORFK) is currently conducting nine criminal investigations against this company.