The number of frauds targeting private individuals has recently increased exponentially.
In 2023, the number of reports increased by 22 percent, compared to the year before, from 195,000 to 238,000. During the same period, the police also estimated that the proceeds of crime were a staggering SEK 7.5 billion.
READ MORE: Fraudsters pretend to be your bank – this is how you protect yourself
Photo: Caisa Rasmussen / TTBankID’s warning in the app
As the risk of being exposed to a fraud attempt increases, companies, banks and authorities take new approaches to protect individuals and inform about the dangers.
An example of this is BankID, which now displays a warning text when you open the app.
“Protect your BankID. Never use your BankID at the request of someone who contacts you”, it says on the screen when you open the app on your device.
READ MORE: BankID’s change – to stop fraud
The police warn of new frauds
The latest in the line of new types of fraud is ad fraud.
If you sell an item on the Internet, you may be contacted by a fraudster who wants to buy the item. You will then be informed where the goods are to be delivered, but you will not see any money coming from the smoke.
In an effort to alert the public to the cunning tricks of the ad scammer, the police are now warning of an advanced form of the scam.
“In recent days, reports have increased to the police in the Stockholm region where fraudsters contact sellers on buying and selling sites and say they want the goods delivered to a box,” they write on their website.
So it’s about fraudsters recently asking sellers to send the goods they claim to buy to a box. The fraudster then sends a link that should refer to the shipment, but this link is in fact a scam page. There you are asked to provide both account details and log in with BankID or with a bank box.
– It is never possible to say that now it is this criminal scheme that applies, but it changes every day, sometimes hour by hour, says Towe Häggcrime prevention co-ordinator at the police fraud section in one press release.
DO NOT MISS: Reveal the cunning tricks of BankID fraudsters – that’s how you do it
The police: You should think about that when shopping online
In connection with the increased form of ad fraud in online shopping, the police are warning at the same time about what you should watch out for, and what you should keep in mind.
READ MORE: This is where fraudsters find your information