Online fraud on the rise

The number of various fraud offences reported to the police was approximately 35,500 in 2019, said the National Police Board in a press release.

The number marks an increase of about 13 per cent or more than 4,200 fraud offences year on year.

The number of these offences taking place on the Internet rose by more than 2,600. So a significant part of the increase in the total amount of fraud crime was due to various forms of online scam.

Almost 2,500 cases of online fraud have already been recorded by the police this year. This represents an increase of more than 17 per cent or 359 online fraud cases year on year.

The total number of fraud offences is also on the rise by almost nine per cent.

This development is very worrying, as the number of reports made to the police is only a part of the true picture, said National Police Board Chief Superintendent Jyrki Aho.

“In reality, the number of victims is much higher than what is known to the police, as not all the cases are reported,” said Aho, adding that “Currently, various fake sites that resemble the sites of real service providers are often used as baits. Scam sites may also mimic popular brands to build credibility.”

According to Aho, people are tricked into visiting these sites through emails, text messages and various social media channels. Traditional letter mail is still used for scams as well.