“Hang Up” information campaign urges people to pause and deny scammers an opportunity

LRT (Lithuanian National Radio and Television), together with its partners – the Lithuanian Police, the Bank of Lithuania, and the Lithuanian Banking Association – has launched a public awareness campaign against fraud titled “Hang Up”. The aim of the campaign is to help residents recognize the most common scams, stop scammers’ pressure in time, and protect their money and personal data, LRT reports.

In recent years, scammers have increasingly targeted people’s emotions: they rush, intimidate, impersonate law enforcement officers or bank employees, lure victims with “too-good-to-be-true” investment opportunities, and, in cases of romance scams, create a false sense of emotional closeness. The campaign platform highlights four particularly widespread schemes: romance scams, investment promises, fake officials, and calls purportedly from a “bank.”

Psychologists were consulted during the development of the campaign to better understand what helps people break free from the pressure created by scammers. Psychologist Kamilė Butkevičiūtė- Astrauskienė and psychologist Arūnas Norkus advised the campaign and helped distill the key insight: a pause is essential.

If a call or message causes shock, pressure, or urges haste – end the conversation. Scammers often seek to provoke an emotional reaction so that the person no longer has time to assess the situation critically. That is why the core advice is to hang up and contact the institution yourself through official channels.

“Behind every fraud story are real people who have lost their savings, their sense of security, and their trust. LRT’s mission is to help society recognize threats and strengthen resilience. ‘Hang Up’ is a reminder: if someone is rushing you, frightening you, or tempting you with promises that sound too good to be true – stop, end the conversation, and verify,” says LRT Director General Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė.

“The scale of fraud shows that a single solution is not enough – what is needed is a joint effort by institutions, the media, and society. We are pleased to speak with one voice together with the Lithuanian Police, the Bank of Lithuania, and the Lithuanian Banking Association, and to provide people with concrete tools to protect themselves,” she adds.

Risks and advice highlighted

Romance scammers seek out victims on social networks and dating apps, gradually gain their trust, and later ask for money or “help” through various fabricated stories. The campaign reminds that even people with extensive life experience can become targets.

In investment scam schemes, fraudsters lure victims to start with small amounts, may create an illusion of “success,” and later encourage investing ever larger sums, even taking out loans. When victims attempt to withdraw the supposed profits, they are asked to pay additional fees.

“The social engineering methods used by fraudsters can mislead even very rational and financially literate people. Therefore, if you suspect you are dealing with scammers, the conversation should be brief. We are glad that an initiative emphasizing this has grown into a joint project and mobilized serious forces. Financial and credit institutions belonging to the Lithuanian Banking Association constantly inform the public about the threats posed by financial fraudsters, but by joining forces we gain the ability to speak with one voice and reach many more people,” emphasizes Dr. Eivilė Čipkutė, President of the Lithuanian Banking Association.

She notes that financial fraudsters constantly exploit topical issues to deceive people and persuade them to hand over their money and personal data. On January 1, a two-year transitional period will begin in Lithuania during which residents will be able to withdraw from the second pillar pension system and reclaim the funds accumulated there.

Specialists are already observing increased scammer activity, with new scenarios being created around this topic. Fraudsters call urging people to borrow money to “invest” now and repay the loan after reclaiming pension savings; they encourage people to “check” how much they will recover on fake websites; they lure victims with offers to withdraw accumulated funds in cryptocurrency, and more.

Fake officials or intermediaries may present themselves as employees of the police, financial institutions, or other authorities, urging people to hand over money “for safekeeping,” disclose information, or install applications. The campaign stresses that institutions do not ask people to hand over funds or confidential data by phone and do not carry out such “procedures” via messaging apps.

“Police officers do not call people to request personal data or login passwords. In investigating such crimes, we observe that the longer a person talks to a scammer, the greater the likelihood they will make a mistake and be deceived. Scammers are skilled at persuading and convincing victims, and under stress a person may take an ill-considered step that proves very costly. Therefore, we advise not to engage in discussions with strangers and to end the call or correspondence as quickly as possible,” says Lithuanian Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas.

In the case of a call from a “bank,” the scammers’ main goal is to extract login details, PINs, or other identification data. The advice is straightforward: do not disclose any information, do not make payments, and after hanging up, call your bank yourself using its official number.

“With this campaign, we show that Lithuanian institutions and financial establishments are pursuing a common goal – to protect people’s money from scammers. “Hang Up” is a simple but very effective piece of advice. In our practice, there have been cases where people recognized scammers but, word by word, gave in to their persuasion and lost money. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion, end the conversation. Money is easy to lose and hard – or sometimes impossible – to recover. Let us share this advice with our relatives and friends and give scammers no opportunity whatsoever. The Bank of Lithuania will continue strengthening all possible safeguards,” says Vaida Markevičienė, Deputy Chair of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania.

She added that the Bank of Lithuania has always devoted significant attention to combating fraud – both by supervising financial market participants and by promoting financial literacy among residents.

The Bank of Lithuania was one of the first central banks in Europe to begin blocking websites illegally providing financial services and publishing “blacklists” that include companies receiving consumer complaints related to fraud.

If fraud is suspected or if one becomes a victim, residents are urged not to delay and to report it by calling 112.

Last updated: 16-12-2025

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