English-speaking foreigners, including several international students, have fallen for the scam, which starts with a phone call in which a computerised voice informs the victim that someone has been arrested and that they need to contact the police on a certain number.
"We have received nearly 380 reports during February 2024, and in 25 of these cases the victim paid out money to the perpetrator," Lotta Mauritzon, an expert at the National Fraud Centre, told The Local.
"The victims have different ages but most are in ages between the age of 21 and 40 years old. In several cases, they seem to be foreign students."
The recorded calls are in English, and come in two variants, she said, with callers claiming to be either from the Swedish police or from the international crime agency Interpol.
There are two main scams used by fraudsters at the moment:
The ID theft scam
The perpetrator claims your ID has been stolen and that you are now accused of a crime like narcotic, weapon or other offences.
"In several cases they say that the narcotics were found in a vehicle that was rented out in your name, with your ID," Mauritzon said.
She said the scammers tell you that "you have to secure your money and transfer it to an account in another bank".
The 'arrested in absentia' scam
In this scam, the perpetrator claims you have been arrested in absentia and been accused of different crimes. Pending the trial, the victim has to secure his or her money.
In two different reports, the precorded computerised message was as follows:
"This is from the Swedish Police. You are arrested in your absence. If you want to speak to a police superintendent, press one."
What is the Swedish Police doing about the scams (aside from contacting The Local)?
Sweden's National Police have set up an English language website to try to prevent additional foreigners falling victim to the crime, and have also created a poster in English.
"Right now, fraudsters are calling with automated computerised voices," the website reads. "They can say that there is a warrant for your arrest and that you are wanted. The police will never contact you with an automated voice in English. Hang up and don't trust the caller."
"The fraudster may call and request personal data or ask you to identify yourself with your bank eID, or share codes from a bank token or bank card," the poster warns.
Do not do this. Police will never ask you to perform a BankID identification.
If you suspect you may have fallen for one of these phone scams, you should immediately contact your bank to freeze your accounts, and then you ring 114 14 to make a police report.
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