Current frauds

Romance and relationship scams are one of the fastest-growing forms of fraud. They usually go on for a long period, and the victim feels a great deal of guilt, shame and embarrassment at having been deceived. Such scams can take the following form.

1. A person contacts you, saying that they are either the love of your life, or someone who will be a good friend. The initial contact is often via dating sites or apps, but it can also take the form of a friend request via social media.
   
2. Conversations take place by chat or phone, which very quickly become deep, intense or loving. After promises of future meetings, holidays and marriage, the scammer claims to find themselves in a difficult situation, needing urgent financial assistance.
   
3. The scammer is skilful, claiming that they can’t manage without your help, after which you cave in to the pressure and start sending money in response to various fabricated situations. The money is rarely sent directly to the person concerned, but to various proxies or partners, often with accounts in various countries. In some cases, the scammer will persuade you to incur debts by taking loans that are supposed be repaid as soon as the situation is resolved.

Avoid being tricked

• If someone wishes to start a close relationship, be very wary and scrutinise the matter carefully.
  
• Check that the person you’re talking to actually exists, and is who they claim to be.
  
• Carry out searches for the names and images used by the person, to see whether other people have reported fraud.
  
• Don’t give in to pressure, just because someone says that it’s urgent
  
• Do not send money to a person whom you’ve not met in real life. You may make yourself complicit in a crime by having sent money to criminals.

How you may be deceived

Investment fraud is becoming increasingly common, and is often long-term in nature. The fraud involves tricking an investor out of money on repeated occasions. The process may be as follows.

1. The fraud begins with you being called up by an advisor who wants to offer a very attractive investment, often in the form of cryptocurrencies. If you accept this offer, further intense contacts follow, and you agree to start investing larger and larger sums.
   

2. However, when you then want to sell the holding, the “conditions” are rarely right. Often, you are persuaded to invest even more money to lower the average price. You may also receive a call from another broker that wants to buy your holding, but in order to sell it, you have to pay a number of fake fees in advance.
   

3. A while later, after you’ve discovered the scam, you may be called up by, for example, a lawyer who claims to represent other people who’ve been defrauded. In return for paying further advance fees, you can get help to get your money back. 

The fraudulent companies often have professional-looking websites and names which closely resemble those of well-known, established companies. You are often referred to fictitious public authorities and the websites of these authorities, for which they themselves are responsible. Learn more about investment frauds at Finansinspektionen.

What forms does phone fraud take?

In this sort of fraud, a person contacts you, saying that they represent a well-known organisation. This could be a bank, a public authority, or a large company. Contact is made either by phone (vishing) or by text message (smishing).

Avoid being tricked when someone calls.

• Hang up, and don’t respond to unsolicited phone calls or text messages in which you’re urged to disclose sensitive information or to use your card reader or BankID.

• Don’t accept that someone is who they claim to be, however credible the person might be

• Take the name of the person who has called you and ring them back by calling the company’s official phone number. You can never be sure of who has called you, if it’s not someone you know well.

• Think rationally, and don’t let yourself become stressed.
  

• Don’t click on links, and don’t follow any instructions in suspicious-looking text messages.
  

• Never let anyone control your computer or mobile remotely.
  

• Talk to your friends and acquaintances to increase awareness about these types of fraud.

• If you become suspicious – don’t be afraid to hang up!
  

Criminals exploit children and young people in order to launder money. The child may be tricked, enticed with money, or forced to receive or transfer money via Swish. This may sound innocent, but it can have major consequences for children and their parents alike. It makes them guilty of a criminal offence called money muling. As a parent, you can do a great deal to prevent your child from being the victim of fraud or being used in money laundering.