Vishing – is called a type of phone scam where fear is an important building block. The scammer calls and manipulates someone, often an elderly person, into giving up information in order to steal their money.
This is a crime that grew by 36 percent last year, and the profits from crime are estimated at just over SEK 700 million, according to the police.
But early in February this year, Uppdrag review revealed the methods of fraudsters in a high-profile program. Since then, the notifications have decreased.
– That was probably what made the government, banks, and even the police intensify their work, claims Stefan Lundberg about the programs.
The profits from crime are also decreasing
The decline is also reflected in the figures on criminal profits. They have fallen significantly this year until April, compared to the same period last year. It is true that the profits from crime amount to SEK 159 million, but it is still SEK 61 million less this year. This corresponds to a decline of a whopping 28 percent.
The banks are now implementing improvements in security following a decision by the trade association Bankföreningen. The bank Nordea has seen a clear reduction in fraud, and a joint action force after the media attention.
– It is still a solid list (of measures that remain red), and we are not where we should be, but we are on the right track, says Per Långsved, who is head of Sweden at Nordea.
The figures come from the Norwegian Police Agency’s National Fraud Center at NOA “Situational picture April 2024”