SVT has told about the blind 91-year-old Leila in Strängnäs who lost more than SEK 23,000 after being exposed to fraudsters. And she is not alone. The number of reported telephone scams rose by 80 percent last year. Almost 22,000 crimes were reported and in total the victims, preferably elderly, lost SEK 619 million.
The police have previously gone out with various campaigns and advertisements to increase awareness, but are now for the first time going out in a national information campaign with physical mailings to 1.2 million households.
Concrete tips
The campaign targets people aged 70 and over, targets for the lion’s share of all phone scams. During the coming week, these will receive a postcard in the mailbox with concrete tips on how to avoid being affected.
– The distinctive thing is that the fraudsters come away with a lot of money, and that the fraudsters target are getting older. Today we are at a median of 80 years, against a previous average of 70 years. From that aspect, it is a very urgent topic.
Call first
As a rule, the telephone fraudsters pretend to be calling from the bank, the police, the credit institution, the debt collection company or the telephone operator. The case can be a debt, an unpaid invoice or an ongoing fraud that, with the customer’s help, they say they want to put an end to.
The affected person is asked to use their mobile bank ID to identify themselves or hand over the codes to their bank box. In some cases, the phone call is followed up by physical visits.
Connected to vandalism
In many cases, the victims lose their life savings, and can suffer from both physical and psychological problems. The proceeds of crime are in turn used to finance criminal activity which according to the police can be linked to acts of violence in gang environments.
Whoever receives the postcard is asked to save the information, and for example put it on the fridge as a reminder in everyday life. The campaign is also aimed at the public, who are encouraged to talk to their elders about how to protect themselves.
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