Or have you received SMS from PostNord or another supposed secure source, but the link looks like it leads to a suspicious website? Then you're not alone, because in Sweden, as in many other countries, scam calls and SMS are a major problem. More and more people are trying to deceive Swedes by making calls with fraudulent intentions.
According to Telia, they have stopped 30 million fraudulent calls in just the first half of the year, which is a rate that is twice as high as last year. Simon Binder, a security expert at Telia Cygate, emphasizes that scam calls are a major social problem that causes significant economic losses for both individuals and companies. Telia has worked on new technical solutions and has been able to stop around 5 million fraudulent attempts per month. Binder stresses the importance of being vigilant and critical of sources to protect oneself against fraud. [pressrelease Telia]
Here are some of the most common ways scammers try to deceive you over the phone:
Spoofing
This involves falsifying a phone number to make it look like the call is coming from someone else, such as a bank or authority, in order to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive information.
Smishing
This is when scammers send malicious links via SMS. If the recipient clicks on the link, it can lead to fake websites or install malicious programs that steal personal information.
Wangiri
This involves a caller hanging up after a single ring, in order to get the recipient to call back to a high-cost number, resulting in high phone bills for the caller.
Be cautious and warn the elderly in your vicinity who may not have much digital experience to hang up immediately when someone unknown calls, and to never click on links sent via SMS.
Read more: They have stopped 50 million fraudulent calls this year
