In the collaboration project that took place during the fourth quarter of 2024, the Consumer Agency shared reports of fake e-stores with the police, who in turn shared them with Nordea, Swedbank, Handelsbanken, and SEB.
The police also shared clean police reports with the banks, which, with the help of their experts, examined the fake e-stores and subsequently shut down their ability to receive payment by credit card.
The Consumer Agency had received a huge number of tips from the public about websites, and at the same time, we knew that the banks have the opportunity to remove the payment solution for unscrupulous e-stores. We realized that we could stop more if everyone shared information that is not regulated as personal data, says Anna-Lena Tapper, project leader at the police's national fraud center.
During three months, the payment option was shut down for approximately 1,300 fake e-stores, and nearly 000 purchases were denied.
It is difficult to know exactly how much money was stopped – consumers may have tried to pay several times when the first payment did not go through, but in total, it is about 134 million kronor – an increase of 57 million kronor compared to the third quarter of the same year.
