Police warn of “SMS children” – several successful attempts

Police are warning of a fraud method where scammers pretend to be your child or grandchild via text message to get money. The fraudster might claim their phone is broken and that they can be reached at a new number. 

After a while, they ask for urgent financial help, such as by using Swish or by asking you to pay an invoice.

The police advise using different unique passwords for things like email and banking

Foto: Claudio Bresciani/TT

– Unfortunately, we have had a number of successful fraud attempts, but also several cases where people were alert and did not fall for these scammers. We want to urge the public to be cautious if they receive this type of text message, says Ulrica Heldebro, head of the investigations section in the Västerbotten police district, in a statement on the police website.

If you are not completely sure that the person is who they claim to be never follow instructions to send money

Foto: Andreas Hillergren

To protect yourself from "SMS child" scams, police recommend the following:

• Contact the person who messaged you on the number you already have to confirm their identity. Do not call the new number listed as the sender.
• Ask security questions that cannot be easily found online.
• If you are not completely sure the person is who they claim to be, never follow requests to send money.
• Never give out card details or personal information.
• Be suspicious if you receive emails or texts asking you to click a link or provide sensitive information. No banks or reputable companies send such messages. Call your bank or the company if you are unsure.
• Use different passwords for email, banking, and e-identification.
• Never allow anyone to remotely control your computer or phone.