Bank card fraudsters rampant in Gothenburg
An organised gang specialising in fraud has recently been operating in residential areas in northern Gothenburg. The criminals first order bank cards in the home owner's name and then raid the letter box.
Janne Westerberg from SEB Kort AB says that his company has received around 100 false applications over the last few weeks from addresses in northern Gothenburg, most of which were located in the Angered district.
A family from the Hammarkullen area recently discovered that criminals had applied for no fewer than five credit cards in their name. The cumulative credit limit for the cards amounted to 245,000 kronor.
"Naturally it doesn't feel good. This means that somebody has examined us and our finances. We hope to be able to make people aware of the fact that this actually happens," Madeleine Möhlenbrock told Göteborgs-Posten.
The criminals behind the operation first find out a home owner's personal identification number and the size of their income, data which is freely available to members of the public.
They then order bank cards over the internet, before keeping a close eye on the recipient's letter box and removing letters that contain bank cards and pin codes.
Police are currently looking into a number of such cases, and spokeswoman Kerstin Ottosson has some concrete advice for those who wish to avoid becoming victims of fraud.
"Get a letterbox with a lock. Otherwise that's where it starts," she told Göteborgs-Posten.
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Janne Westerberg from SEB Kort AB says that his company has received around 100 false applications over the last few weeks from addresses in northern Gothenburg, most of which were located in the Angered district.
A family from the Hammarkullen area recently discovered that criminals had applied for no fewer than five credit cards in their name. The cumulative credit limit for the cards amounted to 245,000 kronor.
"Naturally it doesn't feel good. This means that somebody has examined us and our finances. We hope to be able to make people aware of the fact that this actually happens," Madeleine Möhlenbrock told Göteborgs-Posten.
The criminals behind the operation first find out a home owner's personal identification number and the size of their income, data which is freely available to members of the public.
They then order bank cards over the internet, before keeping a close eye on the recipient's letter box and removing letters that contain bank cards and pin codes.
Police are currently looking into a number of such cases, and spokeswoman Kerstin Ottosson has some concrete advice for those who wish to avoid becoming victims of fraud.
"Get a letterbox with a lock. Otherwise that's where it starts," she told Göteborgs-Posten.
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