According to Lähitapiola, organized crime is increasingly behind the scams. According to the survey, the most common form of online scams are e-mails or text messages.
Criminals now know how to cheat at the right time. Illustration image. Anu Kivistö
Autumn has been the time of tax refunds. The current situation has activated online scammers, according to Lähitapiola’s announcement.
– Anyone can be the target of a scam, regardless of age or position, comments Lähitapiola’s information security director Leo Niemelä.
According to the Arje katsaus survey commissioned by Lähitapiola, 47 percent of Finns have encountered scams online.
According to the survey, the most common form of online scams are e-mails or text messages. Almost a third of the respondents have come across them.
The respondents were also familiar with phishing (16 percent) and online shopping scams (12 percent).
Seasonal cheating increased
According to Niemelä, the background of scams is more and more often professional crime, scams are no longer only in English or bad Finnish, and the scammers also know the events of the Finnish cycle.
– For example, at the time of tax refunds, fraud campaigns related to tax matters have been seen. Criminals change technology and approaches from time to time anyway.
A healthy suspicion of fraudsters will get you far, but if you do end up being the target of a crime, you shouldn’t beat yourself up. The most important thing is to contact, in addition to the police, at least your own bank, so that further damage can be prevented.
READ ALSO
This is how you prevent online scams
– If something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Maintain a healthy level of caution online.
– Alarm bells must ring if decisions have to be made in a hurry.
– When you go to online banking and online stores, write the address directly in the address line, don’t go through a search engine. In the search results, even fake pages can appear as a result. Even the lock symbol in the address bar of the browser is no longer a waterproof guarantee of security.
– Never give your bank credentials to outsiders. The bank does not ask the customer for them.
– Create long passwords of 15-30 characters that contain special characters for the accounts you use.
– Do not click on links sent in surprising messages.
– Pay in the online store with a credit card. If the item does not arrive, you can demand the credit company to cancel the charge.
– Do not use online banking in unprotected local area networks, such as in the library or on the train.
– Make a voluntary credit ban. With it, no one can take out a loan with your personal identification number, even if your personal data falls into the wrong hands.
Expert: Lähitapiola’s information security director Leo Niemelä