Young Woman from Southern Israel Robbed and Blackmailed in Telegram Loan Scam

A young woman from southern Israel fell victim to a loan scam conducted through a Telegram group, resulting in robbery and extortion. She sought a loan of 24,000 shekels via a Telegram group and was instructed to withdraw the money from a bank branch using a withdrawal code. After withdrawing the cash, two suspects confronted her at the bank and violently stole the money. Following the robbery, the lender demanded she return the entire loan amount, accusing her of failing to transfer part of the funds as agreed, effectively blackmailing her.

The woman had communicated with a group administrator who offered her the loan, with the condition that she keep 10,000 shekels and transfer the remainder to another individual. The withdrawal was done without a card, using a code provided by the lender. The robbery was captured on video, showing the suspects forcibly taking the money from her. She reported the incident to the police, describing the attack and theft.

Police investigator Yaakov Hershkovitz from Kiryat Gat police station warned the public to exercise caution when dealing with financial transactions and loans from unknown parties, especially on social media platforms. Authorities from the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority also highlighted that such scams are increasingly common, with dozens of Telegram groups offering loans to people with limited or blocked bank accounts, including minors.

Eli Tubul, head of the Regulated Financial Services Division at the Capital Market Authority, noted the expansion of this black market loan sector, which is estimated to handle hundreds of millions of shekels annually. This illicit market poses significant criminal and financial risks to individuals seeking unregulated loans online.