The number of investment frauds is on the rise, new figures produced by TV4 Nyheterna show.
According to the police, many people are tricked into betting money via fake ads on social media.
A crime that is difficult to access.
– It’s tragic because these people often lose everything they have. It is money that disappears internationally, which means that the plaintiff does not get the money back, says Fredrik Boström, acting head of the fraud section in the police region west.
Being tricked into investing money with the promise of high returns, often via social media ads, has become a phenomenon that has grown exponentially.
Sharp increase in fraud
According to statistics from Brå, the Crime Prevention Council, which TV4 Nyheterna produced, 210 investment frauds were reported during the first quarter of 2019. A figure that has grown annually and during the first three months of the year amounted to 1,136 reports. A more than fivefold increase.
– These are typically ads in social media where you promise big profits with little investment in a short time. That’s when you have to be careful, says Fredrik Boström.