28 January 13.04, Scam, Värmland County

In the beginning of the week, the police received around ten reports in quick succession regarding attempts at fraud. A person claiming to be from a car rental company calls and asserts that the victim rented a car that they have not returned.

All those who have been called have also received SMS where the sender could not be identified.

On Tuesday, another case was reported with the same method, but this time the victim lost around 25,000 kronor. After the completed fraud, the call switched to what is called physical vishing, where the perpetrator says that the victim should pick up their valuables and place them in a bank deposit box that they have arranged, but then the victim hangs up.

It is mainly people in Karlstad and the surrounding area who have been affected, and both men and women between 60-75 years old.

How to protect yourself from telephone scams
•    Hang up. If someone calls and you are unsure, end the call. This applies regardless of whether the person claims to be a relative or from your bank, company, or authority. Hang up immediately, you don't have to be polite.

•    Don't log in. Never identify yourself with a bank ID and never give out codes from your bank card if someone asks. Serious companies, authorities, and organizations never contact you and ask you to log in or provide information in this way.

•    Don't trust the caller. The scammer can stress you by saying you are about to lose money or that a family member has been injured. Don't trust the person calling, even if they seem credible and have personal information about you.