Recently, a fake Swish app has been used for several payments in Varberg.
However, the app, which is identical to the real Swish app in appearance, lacks the functionality that completes the real transactions.
– In these cases, we are talking about thousands of Swedish kronor each time. We can assume that more people have been cheated of smaller amounts, the municipal police have Ghadi Ghazale told to Halland’s News.
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Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT This is how the Swish scam works
The app works in such a way that the fraudster, just like in the real app, fills in the amount and recipient. After that, a “confirmation” appears on the screen, which also shoots fireworks when the screen is tapped – an indication that the transfer is legitimate.
But in reality, neither the confirmation, the fireworks, nor the app itself is real, and no money is ever sent.
Detecting such an app in a situation where it is being used is difficult. But there is a way.
For private individuals, you must keep an eye on your own app on your phone to see that a confirmation has been registered. For entrepreneurs, it is required to download the Swish Företag app. In this way, you can keep track of payments in real time and discover, just like private individuals, whether the promised payment has arrived or not.
READ MORE: Fake Swish app warning – how to recognize it
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
The scam apps look just like the real Swish app and also show payment confirmation. But in reality you have not received any money and instead have been scammed. Photo: Isabell Höjman/TTSwish: How to protect yourself against fraud
With the fraudsters’ increasingly cunning tricks to get hold of both private individuals and companies’ money, Swish themselves have now issued clear calls.
On his homepage have they updated the information regarding fraud via SMS, email and phone calls where the fraudster pretends to represent Swish, and other companies and authorities. Something that has unfortunately become increasingly common in recent times.
“It is therefore important to be vigilant to avoid being deceived”, they write.
Then they write five points that everyone should keep in mind and think about to minimize the risk of falling into the clutches of the fraudster.
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Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TTFake apps trick people out of money – Swish: “Very serious”
Due to the recent fake Swish apps that have appeared in Sweden News24 contacted the company themselves to see how they view the matter and how they work to reduce the risk for users of being exposed to fraudsters, where they pretend to be Swish.
“Of course, we take this very seriously and work actively to shut down the type of social media accounts and sites that spread fake news. We also work closely with both banks and the police to prevent fraudulent use of Swish. Today, there are websites that clone and fake apps, partly for Swish but also for other brands, and the basic rule for companies is to never trust what a customer shows on their own screen,” writes Swish’s communications expert Jenny Ragnartz in an email to Nyheter24 and continues:
“The green confirmation view in the Swish app has never been and should never be seen as a receipt for the recipient that a payment has been made.”
Instead, Ragnartz points out that you who want to have control over confirmed and received payments should have the Swish business app downloaded. As a merchant and business owner, you then receive a confirmation immediately when a payment has been made. Alternatively, as a business owner, you can integrate Swish into the cash register system.
“The merchant will then receive a notice when a payment has been made through their usual channels, that is, at the checkout.”, Jenny Ragnartz concludes by writing.
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