Eastern Finland Police warn: 301 frauds reported in September – victims lost up to 142,000 euros
Eastern Finland Police recorded 301 frauds or payment instrument frauds in September. Individual victims lost tens of thousands of euros at the hands of fake tax authorities and cryptocurrency fraudsters.
301 frauds in September – victims lost up to 142,000 euros to scammers
Eastern Finland Police recorded 301 frauds or payment instrument frauds in September, of which 13 were classified as serious. Iltalehti.fi reported from a police statement which lists several cases and warns of a growing wave of fraud.
Detective Inspector Juha Leinonen urges swift action in suspected criminal situations in the statement: "If you suspect you have become a crime victim, contact your bank immediately and inform them of what has happened. Then file a report with the police. The sooner the bank and police receive information about the case, the better the chance of preventing further harm and recovering the defrauded money."
Fake offices calling – three women lost significant sums
A South Savo woman born in the 1960s lost nearly 25,000 euros to a "Communications Authority" representative on the phone who claimed there was a large withdrawal from her account under way and promised to help stop it. Some of the fund transfers were halted and returned to the victim. Police are investigating the case as serious payment instrument fraud.
In another case, a South Savo woman born in the 1940s received a call in the name of "Helsinki Security Services". She was told of a large fund transfer in progress and was asked to provide her bank credentials to prevent the transfer. The woman was about to lose nearly 50,000 euros, but the bank managed to halt the suspicious transfers in time.
A North Karelia woman born in the 1960s lost over 26,000 euros during a phone call lasting several hours. The caller posed as "Financial Supervision" and claimed there was suspicious activity on the woman's account. The woman provided her debit card details including verification numbers and authorised several payments. Police are investigating the case as serious payment instrument fraud, and some of the money has since been recovered.
Loans taken from men's accounts and cryptocurrency fraudster obtained 142,000 euros
The details of a South Savo man born in the 1950s were used for unauthorised online shopping worth nearly 38,000 euros. In addition, a 20,000 euro consumer loan was taken out in his name. Some of the money has been recovered, and police are investigating the case as serious payment instrument fraud.
A South Savo man born in the 1960s lost over 142,000 euros to a cryptocurrency fraudster during 2019–2021. He had not filed a police report even though he had previously suspected he was being defrauded.
A North Karelia woman born in the 1940s had paid 20,000 euros in "customs duties" to an unknown person. Police are investigating the case as serious fraud.
An unknown amount of nearly 40,000 euros appeared in the account of a South Savo man born in the 1990s, which was transferred in smaller instalments to foreign accounts. This involved loans taken out on the man's account, and additionally nearly 4,000 euros that had previously been in his account were transferred to criminals.
Klarna and Google Meet frauds increasing
Police particularly warn against Klarna frauds, in which a caller or sender asks to update or verify Klarna account details. Additionally, through Google Meet video calls, attempts have been made to deceive foreign-born people living in Finland by posing in police uniform.
Source: Google News FI — Crime (fi)