Scams | The police warned tens of thousands of Finns about scam calls – You can recognize them by these signs

There is it is rare for the police to specifically warn people about scam calls from criminals, says an information security expert Mikko Hyppönen. He thinks the police’s actions are wise.

“Raising people’s vigilance is the best medicine.”

Tens of thousands of Finns got on Saturday, a text message from the police warning them that they have an increased risk of falling victim to a scam call. The targeted message was received by those whose name and contact information the police have found on the so-called call list.

By calling through the playlist, criminals try to get e.g. online bank credentials from people. On the phone, they may pretend to be bank tellers or representatives of a financial institution, for example.

Jumping according to it is likely that similar playlists are collected from a data leak or leaks. Finnish people’s information has been leaked, for example, by the Psychotherapy Center To the counter and the transport company To Westlog in targeted data breaches, Hyppönen reminds.

“Collecting the lists through other than information leaks would be difficult,” Hyppönen says.

So it is likely that the parties that have committed various data breaches have sold Finns’ information on to telephone criminals, for example on the Tor network.

On a general level, Hyppönen estimates that the circles of scammers impersonating Finnish civil servants or authorities are small.

“In Finland, this is quite small-scale. Probably some small group that calls and tries to cheat.”

Crime Commissioner Janne Kyllönen previously told HS that the ongoing crime series has already resulted in millions of euros in criminal profits. Police messenger targeted warning messages to citizens from the same entity also in July.

For a citizen the calling authority must always be able to prove that they really are the authority, Hyppönen reminds.

If you receive a suspicious call from someone posing as an authority or an official, you can always report that you will call back through this organization’s switchboard, Hyppönen says.

“It should always succeed, and if it doesn’t, you can leave the call at its own value.”

Alarm bells should always ring even when the person on the other end of the line emphasizes urgency and pressures for quick solutions, Hyppönen states. Then you should, for example, put the call on hold and talk about it with another person. By talking out loud, you can notice things that you wouldn’t think of alone in a hurry, Hyppönen advises.

Scam callers may also try to trick you with good news and opportunities. So you should keep your skepticism even when the caller tells you about an excellent and rare investment opportunity, Hyppönen says.

“If someone seems too good to be true, at least it’s not true online.”