Hi! So I made a fun post yesterday about a scam WhatsApp I’d received.

I got some feedback on the post asking a) why bother and b) how to report. Most importantly though, I got a couple of DMs from people who had received similar messages and believed them- luckily, neither had handed over money yet.

I tend to go along with scams just so that I can get the scammers’ bank accounts and report them. The reason I do this is because my grandmother was targeted a few years ago. It was a banking scam (in a different EU country) and it was heartbreaking for her.

Onto the questions:

a) Why bother?

Well, because the time they waste with me they’re not wasting with an actual victim. There are very few scammers who speak Finnish, so it does make a difference 🙂 Besides, if you frustrate anyone enough, they might start thinking about a career change.

But, most importantly- opening or having access to an EU/UK account is extremely difficult for a scammer from a foreign country. Often, these accounts belong to genuine local victims who are now, through intimidation, laundering money for the scammers. Reporting a bank account is always worth it.

This doesn’t mean you need to become a scam baiter yourself- I just like wasting my free time 😂.

b) How do I report a scam?

  • If you have been the victim of one (and have sent money), please file a police report. Here is the relevant page: https://poliisi.fi/en/fraud
  • If you believe you have highly relevant information (for example, you managed to obtain a Finnish bank account number used by the scammers), please also submit a police report. When I have done so, the police have always taken it seriously!
  • If you just want to report a scam and have the scammer’s email/Whatsapp etc… but no sensitive information, you can submit a tip to the National Cyber Security Center. It will help them monitor the type of scams currently being used, which can help organisations being impersonated to strengthen their security (think of the Traficom scam, for example). Your tip can be anonymous and it takes under a minute to fill in the form! Link is: https://www.kyberturvallisuuskeskus.fi/en/report

by evissimus