Frauds galore among online buyers

This autumn, incidents of fraud of the same type on the online selling platform Tori.fi have come to the attention of the Helsinki Police Department.

Fraudsters have shown the seller a fabricated receipt or bank statement, which has been made on the demo page of the bank, said an official press release.

In the known cases, the buyers have contacted individuals that sell, for example, phones and computers. The fraudster offers to buy the item and sets a meeting with the seller.

The fraudster sends a picture of the receipt to the seller in advance or shows a bank statement or receipt of the bank transfer on their phone during the moment of sale. The name of the seller is set as the receiver of the payment. In at least one case, the seller has been able to write their bank account information by themselves into the “buyer’s online bank service.

“Frauds have been manufactured on the demo pages of at least S-Pankki and Ålandsbanken. The bank statement shows implausible names like Maija Meikäläinen,” said the head investigator Detective Chief Inspector Hannu Kortelainen from the Helsinki Police Department.

The police urge sellers to be careful with payments. You should always check in your own online bank service or from a printed bank statement that the money has actually arrived.

Another option is to carefully inspect the receipt or bank statement presented by the buyer. Particular attention should be paid to the dates and to the names of individuals and companies.