Beware of new bank scam, Swedish police warn
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Published: 14 May, 2018 CET.
Updated: Mon 14 May 2018 14:59 CET
Swedish police warned residents on Monday to be aware of a new widespread telephone scam aimed at obtaining sensitive financial information.
In a press release, police cautioned that fraudsters have been contacting bank customers and claiming that there is an urgent issue that requires immediate access to customers’ BankID, bank accounts or banking codes. Posing as representatives of the bank, a government authority or the police, the scammers ask for the sensitive information and then immediately start wiping out the bank accounts of those they con.
Police cautioned residents to never release such information, as they are “the keys to your money”.
“You can protect yourself by never giving out your personal codes or account information and by never using BankID at the prompting of someone who contacts you,” Jan Olsson of the National Fraud Center said in the press release.
“You wouldn’t give your house keys to someone just because they claim to be a repairman,” Olsson added.
According to police, the number of reported fraud cases has doubled in the past few years and there are now more than 200,000 incidents reported annually.
In an effort to reverse the trend, the Swedish police and the nation’s largest banks have teamed up to inform residents of the dangers and to encourage bank customers to be more vigilant in guarding their financial information.
Police said that the best way to protect against the new wave of bank scams is to simply never give out your personal codes or bank information and to never use BankID at the prompting of anyone who contacts you. If you receive a suspicious phone call, the best course of action is to hang up and then contact your bank’s customer service to check on the veracity of the call and report the suspicious activity.
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In a press release, police cautioned that fraudsters have been contacting bank customers and claiming that there is an urgent issue that requires immediate access to customers’ BankID, bank accounts or banking codes. Posing as representatives of the bank, a government authority or the police, the scammers ask for the sensitive information and then immediately start wiping out the bank accounts of those they con.
Police cautioned residents to never release such information, as they are “the keys to your money”.
“You can protect yourself by never giving out your personal codes or account information and by never using BankID at the prompting of someone who contacts you,” Jan Olsson of the National Fraud Center said in the press release.
“You wouldn’t give your house keys to someone just because they claim to be a repairman,” Olsson added.
According to police, the number of reported fraud cases has doubled in the past few years and there are now more than 200,000 incidents reported annually.
In an effort to reverse the trend, the Swedish police and the nation’s largest banks have teamed up to inform residents of the dangers and to encourage bank customers to be more vigilant in guarding their financial information.
Police said that the best way to protect against the new wave of bank scams is to simply never give out your personal codes or bank information and to never use BankID at the prompting of anyone who contacts you. If you receive a suspicious phone call, the best course of action is to hang up and then contact your bank’s customer service to check on the veracity of the call and report the suspicious activity.
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