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A new type of online banking scam is circulating in Finland, with police confirming around 30 reported cases since April. The scam, which unfolds in three stages, is designed to extract banking credentials using automated calls and fake customer service agents.
The Cybercrime Investigation Unit of the Central Finland Police Department issued the warning on Monday.
In the first stage of the scam, victims receive an automated phone call claiming to be from a bank. The call, often from a Croatian number starting with +385, states that unauthorised transactions have taken place in the victim’s online bank account. The message instructs the person to press a key on their phone if they did not authorise the transactions. Doing so connects the call to a person posing as a customer service representative.
In the second stage, the scammer provides more specific details, claiming that someone has logged into the victim’s account using a particular type of mobile device and sent money abroad. The fake representative says they have managed to cancel one large transaction but are having trouble reversing a smaller one.
The third stage involves the scammer asking the victim to log into a website using their online banking credentials. The site is presented as a place to cancel the remaining transaction using a mobile authentication method. Once the victim enters their credentials, the scammer gains access to the bank account.
Police say the method is one of several rapidly evolving fraud schemes targeting users in Finland. They emphasise that bank credentials should never be shared with anyone or entered on unfamiliar websites.
“Cybercriminals are constantly developing new methods to trick users into giving up personal information,” the police said.
Authorities urge the public to be cautious of calls claiming to be from financial institutions, especially those coming from foreign numbers. Any suspicious request to log in via an unfamiliar website should be ignored.
HT
- Previous Article Finnair cancels 110 flights amid continued aviation union dispute
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
