Fraud methods you should be aware of
When fraudsters turn up at your door
The police are now warning about fraudsters who visit people at home and pretend to be from the police. The fraudsters attempt to obtain bank cards or BankID information. Remember that the police will never ask for this.
Do not let strangers in, and never share your card, PIN code or BankID details. If you suspect fraud, end the contact immediately and contact DNB on 915 04800.
Stop – Think – Check
Digital information can easily be falsified. Therefore, be critical of information you see on social media, in advertisements, emails, messages or similar. Assess the content carefully before you click through.
The rule of thumb is 'Stop – Think – Check'
More fraud methods
Gift card fraud
Gift card fraud typically begins when you are contacted by phone, email, text message or on social media.
The fraudsters often pretend to be:
- Someone who has become a romantic partner or friend after online engagement
- An authority figure from, for example, the police or the Norwegian Tax Administration
- A technical support representative from, for example, the bank, Microsoft or Apple.
- A direct manager in a company (who contacts employees via fraudulent email)
- A relative in distress, for example children or grandchildren in trouble
Once you have purchased gift cards, you are asked to scratch off the code on the back of the cards and send a picture of them or read out the codes to the person who contacted you, either to help them out – or in return for a reward.
If you do this, the fraudsters have succeeded, because they can then use the gift cards themselves or sell the codes onwards at a discount and receive payment in cryptocurrency. This means no one can trace where the money comes from.
Safe account fraud, example of a typical scenario:
- You receive a call from someone claiming to be from the police, DNB, Økokrim (the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime) or similar. They may tell you that you are at risk of identity theft and that you must transfer your funds to a 'secure account' to protect them.
- Such phone calls can last for several hours, and you may be transferred to 'the bank' during the call, who will help you stop the ongoing fraud.
- In several cases, customers have been instructed not to tell the bank that they have been in contact with anyone, 'for the sake of the investigation'.
- To 'stop the identity theft', they will ask for sensitive information about BankID passwords and codes, or ask you to confirm something with your BankID.
Remember! Neither the police, DNB nor other authorities will ask you for this type of information over the phone. If you are unsure, end the call and contact us via DNB's official channels.
