In recent years, the number of reported frauds has increased as more and more people are cheated of assets and belongings.
In 2023, the fraudsters’ total criminal profits amounted to a full 7.5 billion kroner. During the same period, 238,371 frauds were also reported to the police, which was then an increase of 22 percent, according to both the police and Crime Prevention Council’s (GOOD) numbers.
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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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The Swedish Tax Agency: The fraudster pretends to be us
As the risk of being exposed to a fraud becomes increasingly common, companies, banks and authorities also tend to go out and inform the public about the dangers involved. In addition, it is also not uncommon for pure warnings or invitations to be directed at the Swedes in order to prepare and protect them from potential fraudsters.
One of the authorities that is not usually late in updating the public is the Tax Agency. Now, once again, they have directed information and clear calls to you who are at risk of falling into the clutches of fraudsters.
They also take the opportunity to warn that it is not uncommon for fraudsters to pretend to be the Swedish Tax Agency.
“It happens that fraudsters pretend to be the Swedish Tax Agency and try to access your data through phishing and phishing. Fraudsters use fake emails, text messages, letters and phone calls in various variations. Attempts at online fraud are especially common when it’s time to declare or when the tax refund is paid out. the website.
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New fraud attempts are spreading
Peder Sjölander works as IT director at the Swedish Tax Agency. In another email News24 he explains that the information that once again appeared on the authority’s home page has been updated.
“As you can see on that page, there are more attempts to use the Tax Agency’s name and therefore we show current examples. It is a fixed page that we link to when it becomes relevant due to scam emails or text messages. The information on that page is the same as before, however the top image example is from yesterday,” he writes to Nyheter24.
What Sjölander is referring to is the update that was made warning of the fraudster’s approach to impersonating the authority. These are then mailings where you are asked to fill in a “Tax refund application” or that the authority’s website is “down” where you are asked to press on to read more. But in fact the link is controlled by the scammer.
In the images below, the Swedish Tax Agency shows the latest in a series of attempts to deceive unsuspecting individuals.
Photo: Screenshot Skatteverket.seSkatteverket: We report to the police
Furthermore, the Swedish Tax Agency urges you who suspect that a fake email has landed in your inbox or you who have received a suspicious call to report it and forward the message to number 7726, which stands for the word SPAM on the phone’s keypad.
The authority also explains that they often report cases where suspected fraud or attempted fraud has been committed to the police.
“If you receive a fake email or call, you do not need to contact the Swedish Tax Agency about this. We often get tips and report to the police if someone else pretends to be the Tax Agency,” they write on the website.
In his comment to Nyheter24, Sjölander concludes by explaining how the Swedish Tax Agency works in such situations.
“The way we work to ensure this is, for example, through information to the public and the media, a police report, if it is a matter of trademark infringement, cooperation with other parties, etcetera”.
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