Published: Less than 40 min ago
If someone calls and asks you to confirm a booked appointment at the hospital using a bank deposit box, there is only one thing to do.
Hang up.
– Healthcare never calls up and asks someone to log in with a bank ID, says Joakim Wallberg, inspector at the crime coordination at the police in the eastern region.
The police in the eastern region have in a short time received several reports from people in Eskilstuna and Linköping who have been called by fraudsters pretending to be senior doctors.
– This modus operandi has occurred before in other places, but it is not something we have seen here recently, says Joakim Wallberg.
– So far we have received nine cases, but we expect this to continue.
Over 85 years
Most callers are over 85 years old. All of them, however, quickly realized suspicions and did not give out any login details.
– Alarm bells should start ringing immediately if someone pretending to work in healthcare calls and asks to log in with a bank ID or bank box, says Joakim Wallberg.
– If you suspect that this may be a legitimate call after all, you will be given a check call to your care contact, but then you must use a number that you have found yourself. Not one that you get during the phone call.
– Otherwise, it is simply a matter of hanging up and ending the call. If, after all, it turns out to be a legitimate call, the care will contact you in a different way.
“Hang up”
– The central thing here is to remember that healthcare does not call and ask people to log in with a bank ID or bank box. If someone does that, it’s a scam and then just hang up.
This kind of fraud has become more and more common. During the first half of this year, fraudsters made a total of SEK 145 million through telephone fraud, which is an increase of 186 percent from last year. Most of those affected are elderly.
The methods vary but often the fraudsters say they are calling from a bank, an insurance company, the police or a large established retail chain. All schemes are based on persuading the called party to hand over login details from the bank box or bank ID.
Facts
Police tips against fraudsters
checkNever use your bank box or bank ID at the request of someone who unexpectedly contacts you.
checkNever give out codes or other sensitive information to anyone. Ever. Card details and codes are keys to your money.
checkIf someone you don’t know calls and you’re unsure, hang up or ask to be called back on a number you find out yourself. This applies regardless of whether the person claims to be a close relative or from the bank, a company or an authority.
checkDon’t trust whoever contacts you just because they have personal information about you. Fraudsters can find information online to trick you.
checkIf you experience or suspect fraud, contact your bank immediately. Always report to the police and get support from people close to you.
Source: The police
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