As of October 1, the police, together with the Swedish Agency for Community Preparedness and Preparedness (MSB), have started a collaboration to protect people from fraud and cybercrime.
The police emphasize the importance of knowledge about how fraudsters work with private individuals, and MSB believes that information and cyber security is an important piece of the puzzle for Sweden’s security.
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The police send letters to 43,900 people
At the end of September, the police in the Mitt region sent out letters to 43,900 different people between the ages of 16 and 85 and living in Västmanland, Uppsala County or Gävleborg County. On the authority’s website, it is urged that everyone who receives the letter also responds to it.
The letter, which is a survey, will be sent out via letter but will also be able to be answered digitally.
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The police, genre picture. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT. The authority for community preparedness and preparedness: Knowledge needs to improve
The police and MSB will work together to prevent phishing and malicious code, inform about how to strengthen your digital identity and inform about how to be safer online.
– In many parts of society, the awareness and knowledge of security needs to improve, so that everyone can contribute to a safer Sweden, says Sara Svenssonproject manager at MSB, in one press release.
READ MORE: MSB’s call: How to protect yourself against phishing
Pensioner talking on mobile phone. Photo: Per Larsson/TT. The police’s call: Take a screenshot and share
At the same time, the police take a broader approach and inform their followers via social media. On their Facebook page, the police posted a picture with the accompanying text:
“Have you or someone you know been the victim of a scammer? You are not alone. Cybercrime is on the rise. Take a screenshot and share the tips with your loved ones.”
In the picture, three different concrete pieces of advice are given on how to prevent being exposed to fraud.
The first call is clear: Do not trust anyone who makes contact. It’s about AI tools getting better at mimicking other people, and people claiming to be a close relative or friend might just as well be an impostor.
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Fraud is common via mobile, BankID and Swish. Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT. Advice: Never log in with BankID just because someone asks you to
The second piece of advice the police give is that you should never log in with BankID if someone calls or sends a link. You should never give out your personal code or other sensitive information just because someone asks for it, and as the police have written on their website, serious actors never do that.
Finally, the police urges that you check the numbers you are called from and never click on links that are sent to you.
At the bottom of the image it says “Scammers want to stress you into making quick and wrong decisions.”, as a reminder.