The fraudsters are ready – that’s how you recognize them

Fredrik Falk, director of operations at Försäkringskassan, is clear. The electricity subsidy payments do not mean that you will be contacted about account details or anything else. If someone calls, emails or texts you about the electricity subsidy – hang up, and don’t click on any links, is his advice.

“No one, not even banks, the Social Insurance Agency or any other authority will contact people,” he says.

Many scams target elderly people. But most elderly people do not need to do anything at all when it comes to the electricity support. Those with pensions are already registered in Swedbank’s system, he explains.

— If you have pension payments from the Pensions Authority, you do not need to register an account, then we at Försäkringskassan already have it, says Fredrik Falk.

— You should never give your account details to someone who calls. Don’t identify yourself with a bank ID either, says Fredrik Falk.

Enter yourself

Ralf Bagner, head of press at Swedbank, has the same message.

— We never call customers and ask for codes.

Regarding the electricity subsidy, you must go in and register yourself via Swedbank’s website.

— You can enter via Försäkringskassan and follow the instructions there, or go to our site.

He says that now, in connection with the electricity subsidy payment, many people have been inside and this has meant that the system has sometimes been overloaded.

— Go back in then. If you don’t register before February 13, it’s not too late, the money just comes a little later.

It is not possible to call Swedbank for help. However, it is possible to get the account number registered if you go into a bank branch yourself, explains Ralf Bagner.

The question, however, is how you can be absolutely sure that you are really on Swedbank’s website, and not on a hijacked page.

— Be attentive and suspicious. Check the url string carefully, and in the phone with the bank ID when you log in, so that you enter the right place.

Report to the police

Lotta Mauritzson, crime prevention officer at the police’s fraud center at the National Operative Department, says that they looked closely at the risks with the electricity subsidy payments.

— We have investigated which processes they have decided on, and which data they collect. Our assessment is that this does not directly invite fraud, she says.

But as always when it comes to a lot of money, or new phenomena that affect many people, the fraudsters are on the move, she explains.

Now the police fear that fraudsters may try to contact people before the electricity subsidy payments in order to trick them into account numbers and bank ID logins.

— It can be by phone, email or SMS. But you should know that this is not how it should be done. The only request is to report your account to Swedbank’s account register.

Anyone who is nevertheless contacted by someone who says they want information before the electricity subsidy payment should report this to the police, she thinks.

“Even if it’s just an attempt, you should report it to the police,” says Lotta Mauritzson.