Criminals have the ability to brazenly take advantage of people’s natural belief in good and desire for quick riches. Therefore, often the best protection against fraud is healthy scepticism.
“You should consider why did I, in particular, happen to come across an affluent and handsome online crush? Or why am I personally being offered a stunningly good return on investment? Not to mention a cash prize amounting to millions, even though I have not even participated in any money games or raffles”, says Chief Superintendent Jyrki Aho from the National Police Board.
It is worth keeping in mind the advice that bank IDs should not be disclosed to anyone unfamiliar, nor should money be sent to online acquaintances, however heart-rending their story may be.
Online fraud on the rise
In 2019, the number of various fraud offenses reported to the police was approximately 35,500. This represents an increase of about 13% on the previous year, or more than 4,200 fraud offenses. The number of these taking place on the Internet rose by more than 2,600 offences, so a significant part of the increase in the total amount of fraud crime was due to various forms of online fraud.
Almost 2,500 cases of online fraud have already been recorded by the police this year. This represents an increase of more than 17% on the same period last year, or 359 online fraud cases. The total number of fraud offenses is also on the rise by almost 9%.
According to Jyrki Aho, this development is very worrying, as the number of reports made to the police is only part of the truth.
“In reality, the number of victims is much higher than what is known to the police, as not all cases are reported.”
Scam types have evolved
There are both domestic and foreign fraudsters operating in the field of crime, and their technical skills are constantly evolving.
“Currently, various fake sites that resemble the sites of real service providers are often used as bait. Scam sites may also mimic popular brands to build credibility”, Aho says.
According to Aho, people are tricked into visiting these sites through emails, text messages and various social media channels. Traditional letter mail is still used for scams as well.
“There is always someone who takes the phishing bait by providing their personal information. This information may allow criminals to gain access to assets on bank accounts.”
Healthy scepticism is good
What happens if you do not respond to a stranger’s contact? Will you miss out on a cash prize or other good things?
“That is unlikely. Instead, what can happen is, once an infected attachment is opened, all the contents of the computer may be encrypted and criminals then demand ransom for decryption. Or the attachment directs to a fake site where the scam victim updates his or her own and online banking information to be used directly by the criminal. So healthy scepticism is worth it in many cases”, Jyrki Aho says.
