Finns lose €5 million in international phone scams

Finns have lost more than 5 million euros from phone scams within a period of a year, said the police in a bulletin.

More than 100 have fallen victims to the scam which resulted from calls made from foreign countries.

"The operation seems international, and the scammers or their companies have been reported all over Finland. Often, the victim has been contacted for the first time from a number beginning with +44, which seems to be a number from a call from the Great Britain. Recent calls have also come from other international numbers as well as from Finland," said Detective Inspector Marko Leponen from the National Bureau of Investigation.

The caller purporting to represent a foreign company called the victims to ask about their wealth offering them the opportunity to invest in a foreign company with the expectation of receiving considerable profit.

Afterwards, victims in many cases have been approached within a few days and requested for additional investments. Later, communication and exchange of information has been conducted via email.

"The victim has been asked to pay the invested capital to a foreign bank account or to a virtual currency exchange service. Usually the first amount has been 200-300 euros. In some cases, the victims have been paid double the amount claimed to have been a return on his previous investment," Leponen said.