ASF warns of new attempts at financial fraud in the name of the institution

Bucharest, 20 May 2025 - The Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) warns the public about attempts at fraud in which unknown individuals falsely present themselves as employees of the institution.

In a recent case, a person was contacted repeatedly by individuals claiming to be employees of a bank, the police, and ASF. Under the pretext of investigating an alleged identity theft and a fictitious credit application, these individuals created a sense of urgency, prompting the victim to provide sensitive personal and financial information.

In the final stage of the fraudulent scheme, the victim was contacted by an individual who identified himself as a representative of ASF. He sent a so-called digital business card via a messaging app, using the real identification details (name and photo) of an ASF employee to give the impression of legitimacy. Subsequently, under the pretext of conducting a "confidential bank account protection procedure," the alleged ASF employee asked the victim to sign a confidentiality agreement with abusive and legally unfounded provisions, which mentioned considerable financial penalties in the event of disclosure of the discussions. Furthermore, he asked the victim to disclose the amounts held in all his bank accounts.

This conduct represents a serious misrepresentation of our institution's identity and a flagrant violation of the rules governing interaction between public authorities and citizens. ASF does not engage in such practices, does not impose coercive confidentiality clauses, does not request signatures through unauthorized applications, and does not make its support conditional on the verbal expression of agreement or disagreement.

ASF categorically distances itself from any such actions and reiterates that it does not contact individuals by telephone to request signatures, personal financial information, verbal statements, or the signing of confidentiality agreements. All official interactions take place through formal, transparent channels and in accordance with the legislation in force.

We draw attention to the fact that this type of fraud is based on:

• simulating an official investigation involving several institutions;
• psychological pressure and creating a sense of urgency;
• requesting sensitive banking information and demanding illegal documents.

Citizens who are contacted under such circumstances are asked to immediately end the conversation, refrain from providing any personal information, and notify the Romanian Police immediately.

ASF is actively cooperating with the competent authorities to investigate and punish these criminal activities, which not only harm the victims but also seriously undermine public confidence in state institutions.

For reports of possible fraud involving the use of the ASF name, please use only the official channels:

• Telephone no: 0800.825.627 
• E-mail: office@asfromania.ro