In Södermalm, an 80-year-old man was pushed in a stairwell while trying to prevent a fraudster from taking gold. The incident began with an SMS claiming the victim owed a rental car, leading to a call where the fraudster said they would collect gold for protection. Multiple similar reports were received from elderly in central Stockholm, with one completed case on Kungsholmen where gold was taken.
The man was not injured, and the crime is classified as attempted robbery. On Saturday, six cases of fraud or attempted fraud were reported in Uppsala, with at least two people losing gold of unknown value. This type of fraud, known as physical vishing, often targets elderly people and occurs throughout the country, most frequently in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö areas.
After a halving in June to 146 cases, these frauds increased in July to 254, nearly matching the first-half average of over 300 per month. The most common approach involves fraudsters calling the elderly, claiming to be from an authority or security company, and offering to safeguard valuables due to supposed local thefts. Neither the police nor legitimate companies go to homes to take care of valuables, according to Karin Breding, problem area manager for criminal economy within the police.
It is also common for fraudsters to pose as water or energy company workers needing to check pipes, then distract the victim while accomplices steal. The value of stolen goods is usually a couple of million kronor per month, likely higher because victims rarely know exactly what they have lost. 3 billion kronor in 2024, exceeding drug sales.
Police are improving at tracking the networks behind these crimes. SMS phishing scams are also rampant, with fraudsters impersonating police, banks, and companies. Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge reports a surge in fraud attempts where scammers impersonate Nets via SMS, claiming account or card blockage.
Scammers use partial account numbers and fluent Norwegian, sometimes with northern dialects, to appear credible, according to Gjermund Koi of the bank. Victims are often stressed and tricked into providing codes, passwords, or BankID confirmations. Names like Kjellaug, Åse, and Gerd are frequently targeted, indicating a focus on older individuals.
When contacts come from many countries and in many forms, it is increasingly difficult for the recipient to quickly assess what is genuine.
In Sweden, police warn about SMS fraud from 'Polismyndigheten'. Yvonne, 72, received 25 such messages in one day, claiming an overdue traffic fine with a final payment date and urging immediate payment via a link. The scammers threatened fines, seizure, and travel bans.
Yvonne does not own a car and realized it was a fraud attempt. According to Aftonbladet, Yvonne described the situation as very unpleasant, noting that nothing seems off-limits in Sweden today. Police state on their website that they see an increase in fraud nationwide and have received many calls about false traffic fines.
These messages are fraudulent, and the Police Authority never contacts individuals via email or phone in such matters. In several cases, victims received an SMS claiming they had purchased goods from a pharmacy and were asked to call a number. Police in Norrbotten warn about scammers pretending to be from the police, telling victims their card is lost or purchases have been made, aiming to steal money and valuables.
Reports have come from elderly people in Piteå and Skellefteå. Police urge those called to hang up. Fake parking tickets have also appeared in Västerås, so well-made they can be perceived as genuine, according to presstalesperson Tobias Ahlén Svalbro.
Police urge car owners to verify tickets and report suspicions. Distraction thefts and fraudulent home visits under false pretenses continue. In Oslo, a man with dark clothes, a Swedish accent, and an ID card attempted to enter elderly people's homes claiming to check water leaks.
He stole jewelry from a home in Rustadgrenda and attempted thefts at Brobekk and Bryn, where an elderly couple had to push him out. Police are searching for the perpetrator and possibly an accomplice; no arrests have been made. In Gothenburg, six attempted frauds targeted people born in the 1940s using SMS about cleaning services and follow-up calls.
One should not react to such contacts in a hurry.
No completed frauds occurred in these cases. In Höllviken, an 80-year-old woman had jewelry stolen by someone claiming to check water, and a 90-year-old woman had her bank card taken in a similar ruse. Two more thefts against elderly occurred in Skåne: in Vellinge, one or two people entered an 85-year-old woman's home and took jewelry, and in Lomma, an 80-year-old woman was visited by a woman asking for a glass of water before her wallet was stolen.
A similar incident in Löddeköping involved a 90-year-old woman being hugged and having her necklace stolen. Police suspect these crimes are organized and urge residents not to open the door to strangers. In several cases, the method is similar: the victim first gets an SMS from an alleged cleaning company about a booked time, then a call confirming the booking, then someone shows up targeting valuables.
What stands out now is that the victims are largely born in the 1940s, according to Alexander McQueen of the fraud section in police region Väst. Perpetrators are pleasant when they make contact and know how to exploit the elderly's trust to arrange a home visit. Financial fraud via phone calls is also widespread.
In Kiruna, victims were called by someone claiming to be from Postkodlotteriet, saying they won money, and were tricked into logging into BankID or Swish, resulting in money stolen from accounts. Police warn never to log into BankID or Swish at the request of unknown callers. In Östersund, ten attempted frauds involved SMS from someone claiming to be from credit company Brixo, asking victims to call about a credit card application.
Police advise not to call back unknown numbers and to contact companies through official channels. In a small town outside Norrköping, scammers called a woman in her 70s and convinced her to transfer significant amounts, likely a six-digit sum. The approach is often similar: scammers start by being aggressive and frightening to gain a psychological advantage, then become helpful and manipulative to gain trust and convince the victim to transfer money via Swish or give out codes.
Police urge anyone called by unknown people asking questions to hang up immediately. If targeted, call the police even if the scam has not been completed, as every case can contribute to the investigation. CEO fraud and business email compromise are also targeting companies.
Yvonne finds it very unpleasant that nothing seems off-limits in Sweden today.
Kaakkois-Suomen poliisi warns about CEO fraud, with three cases investigated in Etelä-Kymenlaakso in a short period. CEO fraud involves a person handling money transfers receiving a request in the name of the CEO or another executive to pay an invoice or transfer money. Sometimes the scam may come as a request to buy a gift card.
The payment request does not actually come from company management but from a scammer. If successful, the transfer is usually hidden through various account transfers. The risk increases during the summer holiday season when personnel handling money flows change.
The requests are made from seemingly correct email addresses, making them difficult to identify, and scammers' messages can look completely genuine. Police report examples where thousands of euros have disappeared from company accounts. Rikoskomisario Mika Salminen described a recent fraud causing hundreds of thousands of euros in damage, based on a project where the company received an invoice from an existing customer company and its representative, but the email address and account number were not correct.
Another case caused tens of thousands of euros in damage. Salminen advised companies to discuss what to check on an invoice before approving it and to report phishing and scam messages to others at the workplace, especially the person responsible for information security. He also stressed the importance of acting quickly if money has been transferred to scammers' accounts: contact the bank immediately, then file a police report.
Police advise preparing for summer holiday personnel changes with orientation and agreeing on common procedures. Attempted fraud is also a crime. International scam calls are burdening Finns' daily lives, according to Suomen Telemarkkinointiliitto ry.
Scammers often impersonate banks, authorities, technical support, or other familiar entities, citing an urgent matter to create a sense of urgency so the recipient doesn't have time to assess the situation's authenticity. Scam calls often feature a serious, pressuring, and convincing tone. In some cases, the call cuts off quickly to entice the recipient to call back.
Yvonne appeals to the Swedish people not to open such messages and never give out BankID.
During the call, scammers often ask to confirm personal information, bank details, or to log into a service via a link. Automated calls with recorded messages also occur. According to data from the Kilpi application, scam calls currently come especially from Italy, Slovenia, Lithuania, Malta, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, the Philippines, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Country codes for Malta, Ireland, and Portugal are close to Finland's +358, so a quick glance might miss the difference. A call coming from a certain country does not necessarily mean the scammer is located there. There are many scams in the name of OmaPosti, where the recipient is told about a new message.
OmaPosti is one of the digital mail services widely available to Finns this year, and scammers are exploiting this timing. In recent weeks, there have been observations of authority scams using the names of the police or Kela, as well as scams in the name of the tax authority, Aktia, and Netflix. According to Ilta-Sanomat, Arto Isokoski described how contacts from many countries and in many forms make it increasingly difficult for recipients to quickly assess what is genuine.
He also advised not to react to such contacts in a hurry. A personal story from Drammen highlights the human toll. A former police attorney with Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia was targeted by a scammer posing as Petter Stordalen on Facebook.
The scammer sent romantic messages and asked the victim to invest in his company. The victim's family struggled to intervene because no money had been transferred and they lacked access to her accounts. The victim now has a guardian protecting her savings, but she still communicates with the scammer.
Police responses and prevention efforts are ongoing. In western Stockholm, two elderly women were defrauded after receiving SMS about a rental car; they were told to gather gold for collection, resulting in completed gross frauds. Police continue their investigations and urge the public to report if they have been affected.
In one case, men called an 85-year-old woman saying they would help her lock a bank card. The woman sensed trouble and called a friend who helped her contact the police. Police arrested the men, who are in their 20s and 30s, outside her residence; they are suspected of attempted gross fraud.
Police advise never to hand over gold to home visitors and to use official contact numbers instead of calling back SMS numbers. Relatives can help protect elderly people by talking about how frauds can happen and by not having gold and valuables too visible and easily accessible in the home. Police urge the elderly who are victims to always file a police report, with help from relatives or friends.
The police take these crimes seriously and all information is valuable in order to catch those who want to deceive the elderly out of money and valuables.