Number of aggravated, attempted frauds goes up in H1

About 1000 incidents of aggravated and attempted frauds were recorded in the country in the first six months ( from January to June) this year, which 150 higher than the number of fraud incidents in the stipulated period of previous year, police said.

“The best way to prevent these offences is to disseminate correct information about fraud-related phenomena. However, the types of fraud are continuously changing and scams are becoming more and more difficult to detect,” said Chief Superintendent Jyrki Aho of the National Police Board.

The police boss also feared that new methods of fraud to emerge and the problem will continue to grow, said an official press release.

Cases of fraud involving fake police officers still common.

2017 was a challenging year in terms of offences involving fake police officers. At the end of the year, the number of crime reports recorded, related to this problem, totalled around 1,000, with massive property damage being caused. The issue was discussed frequently and received extensive media coverage.

“These crimes have continued this year. At the end of July, the total number of crimes recorded involving a fake police officer was 259, and in 50 of the cases the crime was successfully perpetrated. The damage is significant, around EUR 375,000. The police and banks have managed to stop criminal transfers worth more than EUR 211,000,” said Aho.

According to Aho, various types of so-called Nigerian e-mail scams still cause the greatest criminal damage. The e-mails involved promises of easy access to huge sums of money, originating for example from the conflict in Syria.

“Criminal activity is continuously changing with respect to other forms of e-mail scam, too, including fake love affairs, investment fraud and phishing targeted at companies. Stolen identities of private citizens and businesses are often involved,” said Aho.

Fraud-related crime figures are high worldwide. However, it is estimated that only around 20 percent of such crimes are reported to the police.

“The fact that people are afraid to discuss these scams and report them does not help to reveal or prevent them. Young adults aged 20 to 29 most often report such cases, while the elderly are least likely to report them. However, the criminal damage caused to young adults is smaller, in relative terms, than that caused to the elderly,” said Aho.

“Criminal marketing has grown and fake sites on the Internet are highly credible. Then again, as many banks have become more vigilant, they have successfully prevented crime.”