Can you recognise an online scam? Scam messages can be very devious

Although many scam messages are easy to recognises as such, some of them can be very believable. For example, some of the scam messages sent in the name of Posti have appeared in the same message chain on the recipient’s phone as real messages from Posti, reports the Consumers’ Union of Finland.

Phishing messages attempt to trick the recipient into giving away their personal data, bank credentials or user account information, for example. The message will often direct the recipient to a scam website, which can appear deceptively similar to the actual website being imitated. The link in the message can also appear genuine, sometimes differing from the real address by just one character. For example, the scammer may have replaced a single lower case l with an upper case i.

There are also scam messages going around in which the sender threatens to release sensitive material about the recipient or leak data obtained through a data breach if the recipient does not send some money to the sender.

Earlier this year, there was also a wave of scam messages that attempted to trick recipients into paying their rent to fraudulent accounts. Heka will never send rent payment details to tenants via SMS, as the payment details for each year are sent to tenants via post in the December of the preceding year. You can also check the details on Heka’s Resident Portal or by contacting the Lease Control Division.

Anyone can end up being tricked

As people’s awareness of various scams increases, scammers are also becoming craftier. This means that anyone can end up being tricked.

The best way to avoid being tricked is to think for a moment before you act. You should always stop for a moment before opening a link in an SMS or email message, for example. Even if the sender information looks correct, the message may still be a scam.

According to Niko Saxholm, director of security, preparedness and crime prevention at Finance Finland, any message that appears even the least bit suspicious should be approached with caution. For example, if you receive a message from the Finnish Tax Administration that threatens you with prison if you do not immediately pay an overdue tax, you should stop and think whether the Tax Administration can actually sentence you to prison.

You should never give away your personal data without a valid reason. Official parties will never ask you to disclose your personal data via email – nor will banks ever ask their customers for their bank details. If you need to access your online banking service or some other important website, you should always do so directly instead of using a link sent to you via email or that you found using Google, for example.

When it comes to online shopping, it is a good idea to pay by credit card, as you can always request a chargeback if the item you ordered is not delivered.

You should also put some effort into your passwords: although using the same familiar passwords on multiple services is easy, it is also a major security risk. Instead, you should have a different password for each service, and you should also change your passwords regularly. You should also enable two-factor authentication whenever possible. You can also use a password manager to make managing your passwords easier.

Have you been scammed?

• If you have lost money, immediately contact your bank’s customer service department. You should also file a police report.
• If a scammer is trying to extort money from you by threatening to share sensitive footage, change your device or account password. Do not respond to the message, disclose any usernames or passwords or transfer any money to the scammer.
• You can also contact Victim Support Finland.