Online fraud attempts
If you think you have transferred money to the account of a scammer or you have given your online banking codes to someone, contact your bank immediately and notify them.
If your bank or credit cards have fallen into the wrong hands, deactivate the cards.
Also file a police report – you can file a report online or at a police station.
It’s worthwhile to file a report even if it is unlikely that you will get your property back. With the help of reports, police can find links between cases. You should also report attempted fraud.
Report a crime online
If an offer sounds too good to be true, it is rarely real
- Large-scale fraud attempts are often the work of international organised crime, but there are also individual criminals involved.
- Statistics on fraud crimes depend on how readily victims of fraud report incidents to the police. The proportion of crimes that go undetected may be quite high.
- All scams have one thing in common: you are lured into giving away your money, personal details or bank and credit card information, and usually you don’t get anything in return or the product does not live up to the promises. The chances of getting your money back when you have been scammed are usually low.
- Often the best way to protect yourself is to use common sense. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it is rarely real.
Source: Poliisi.fi
You should ask yourself:
Why are they approaching me in particular?
What do they actually want from me?
What risks might there be if I do what I am told?
Scammers know how to use psychological means
- Scams often appeal to people’s desires to get rich quickly and improve their lives.
- Many times the offer is valid for a very short time or the product has limited availability.
- You may be given a nominal gift, after which you feel like you owe a favour. This makes it more difficult to decline the offer.
If your driver’s license, passport or identification card disappears, notify the police and your bank.
Prevent fraud and the damage it causes
- There is no reason to reply to letters and text messages or emails that are suspicious and sent by people you do not know. You can get rid of the messages just like you would get rid of spam.
- Don’t believe everything you hear, read or see, for example, in pictures. Criminals know how to use cutting-edge technology. All of the content you see may be completely false, or it may have been taken from the internet for fraudulent purposes.
- You should never send your account numbers or passport information to strangers.
- Transferring money using credit card numbers and various money transfer codes is questionable.
- Email addresses should be checked. Reputable companies don’t use free email addresses from the internet.
- Many fraud crimes involve your personal information falling into the hands of scammers. If you have lost your driver’s license, passport or identification card, report it to the police and your bank. You can report a lost document to the police electronically on the website of the police.
Source: Poliisi.fi – Fraud
It is important to speak up about fraud.
At the same time, we need to ensure that those who are unaware of the risks of fraud or who don’t know how to use the internet safely are provided with the necessary information and skills.
The police investigate and make connections – it is worthwhile to report an offence
- Various scams often end up on the police’s desk under the heading of fraud. It’s worthwhile to file a report even if it is unlikely that you will get your property back. You should also report attempted fraud.
- With the help of reports, police can find links between cases. Many times, the same perpetrators have also scammed other people, and the reports can help to track down the criminals.
- Unfortunately, the police have very limited opportunities to help, especially when the fraud is committed abroad. However, international cooperation has led to the apprehension of perpetrators of large-scale fraud.
Source: Poliisi.fi
Be alert when shopping online
- If you don’t know the seller in advance, check their trustworthiness before placing an order.
- An online store with exceptionally cheap products and incomplete contact details may be fraudulent.
- In a typical case of online store fraud, the purchaser doesn’t receive their order and the product they paid for at all, or they are sent a wrong product instead.
- It is also considered a fraud for a seller to send you a product even though you have not clicked the order button, but only provided your personal and address details.
- Often, the problem is that the company does not respond to complaints or has ceased operations.
Checklist for online shopping
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Check the contact details of the seller.
Find out if the online store clearly states its name, street address and phone number on its website in addition to an email address. Remember that a web address does not necessarily indicate the country in which a store is located.
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Be cautious about overly positive reviews.
Reviews on online store websites may be fake.
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Find out if the seller is trustworthy.
Be wary of online stores that do not voluntarily provide comprehensive contact information. You shouldn’t trade with a company that only give their email address or a contact form. Look for information about the seller by entering the name of the company in a search engine.
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Find out what experiences others have of the online store.
Google other people’s experiences with the online store – for example, discussion forums can provide information about other people’s shopping experiences. However, you should be cautious about overly positive reviews, as the seller might have written them.
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Check the terms of delivery.
Don’t place the order if you haven’t read the terms of delivery or understood them. In particular, make sure you know whether you are placing a one-time order or committing to a standing order.
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Pay with a credit card.
In case of problems, you can demand compensation not only from the seller but also from the creditor.
Advance payment by bank transfer is risky – try to avoid it!