In 2023, 238,372 frauds were reported, which was an increase of 22 percent compared to 2022. This corresponded to 42,442 crimes, writes crime-preventing counsel (GREAT).
In other words, the recent increase in cases of fraud and attempted fraud has skyrocketed. In recent months, several companies, banks and authorities have warned customers and users about the fraudsters’ approach and attempts to steal your money.
Some of the warnings include the Tax Agency, which warned private individuals about scam text messages, Handelsbanken, which urged customers to “save their money” and ICA, which warned customers about fake competitions and advertisements on social media.
The number of frauds has increased significantly. Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT
Get BankID? The new security measure you need to be aware of
The cyber security consultant: There lies the responsibility
When it comes to those who have either been exposed or are at risk of being exposed to fraud, it is important that companies, banks and authorities work for the safety of customers and private individuals, says the cyber security consultant Linus Kvarnhammar.
– There is a lot that companies, banks and authorities can do. But I would say it’s not about a list of things everyone should follow but, more at a high level, all organizations should do a proper threat analysis of their own business and their customers’ accounts. In the banks’ defense, they handle huge amounts of transactions, but some banks can identify transactions that don’t fit into regular patterns and flag these for manual inspection, he says, adding:
– Although I think that banks and companies have a great responsibility in this, it is still very difficult to protect oneself against a fraudster who is on the phone with the victim and has access to the victim’s computer and BankID. The challenge for an organization to distinguish between such a situation and where the victim himself legitimately wants to transfer money is very great.
Got an odd call? How to protect yourself against phone scams
Linus Kvarnhammar is a cyber security consultant. Photo: Pressbild Fraud more people should know about
Kvarnhammar believes that there are two things that more people should learn and have knowledge of. One is to never trust anyone who makes contact via text, call or email, but instead handle all contact with banks and authorities via official contact channels.
If that were the reality, a large number of all fraud cases would have disappeared, says Kvarnhammar. The second is to understand the risk in cryptocurrency trading, which is common when it comes to investment scams.
– We also have investment fraud, where it works a little differently. Victims see ads on social media about the benefits of investing in cryptocurrencies and register their interest. If there is something that should be hammered home to private individuals, it is that investments in cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments, but if you still want to do this, it goes through Swedish banks. You absolutely do not need to use unknown foreign brokers, and if you find them via social media, it is probably a big scam, says Kvarnhammar.
BankID’s big change – comes into effect on 1 May