Fraud has increased in Sweden in recent years. According to police data, criminal profits for fraud rose by 22 percent in 2023, compared to the previous year. This meant that fraudsters managed to get hold of a full 7.5 billion kroner – over the course of a year.
Everything from smishing, phishing and vishing are terms for forms of fraud that have become significantly more common than before. And one thing is common regardless of the scam type: all scammers want your money.
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Photo: Jessica Gow/TT
In 2023, criminal profits for fraud increased by as much as 22 percent compared to the year before. The total criminal profits landed at SEK 7.5 billion.
According to the police, the profits are reinvested in new criminal schemes such as drugs and weapons.
Profits of Crime 2023 by Fraud Type:
Source: The police
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She was defrauded of SEK 70,000
Many people’s worst nightmare is to be exposed to a scam and see their belongings and savings disappear, usually for good.
One who was unlucky enough to experience this nightmare is the influencer Carly Rowena. She was duped out of as much as SEK 70,000 in a so-called crypto fraud via Instagram, writes Today’s PS citing CNBC.
The British fitness and health profile has close to 190,000 followers on Instagram. For CNBC, she recounts what it was like to be cheated of 5,700 British pounds.
“I thought it was too good to be true, and I fell for it anyway.”
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Carly Rowena says the crypto scam happened on the social media platform Instagram. Photo: Gorm Kallestad/TT That’s how the fraud happened
The scam involved Rowena transferring the crypto to an Instagram account she thought belonged to a professional investor who would help her. Namely, the investor helped a friend for Rowena and only after the transfer did she realize that the friend’s account had been hijacked and no “professional investor” ever existed.
Rowena tells for CNBC that every now and then she felt stupid. In retrospect, she has realized what she should have done in such a situation she found herself in, in order not to risk being exposed and seeing the money disappear. She shares her thoughts to warn others.
“Stop and think. It gives yourself a chance to realize that opportunities don’t disappear in a second. If it’s right for you and it’s legitimate, it won’t slip through your fingers,” she says.
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