Phone scammers steal nearly €2 million from Latvians in October

Phone scammers stole about €1.935 million from people in Latvia between October 1 and 27, according to the Latvian State Police, LSM reported. Of 311 fraud cases registered during that period, 118 resulted in financial losses.

More than €17 million has been stolen from Latvia’s residents by phone scammers this year. The number of cases is not declining, and scammers most often pose as representatives of banks, the State Social Insurance Agency, the Road Traffic Safety Directorate, courier services or the State Revenue Service.

Police representative Elīna Priedīte said that although older people are more often among the victims, people of different ages and nationalities are targeted. She advised residents not to share online banking details or Smart-ID and PIN codes, click suspicious links, open unknown attachments, transfer money at the direction of strangers or provide personal or financial information without verifying who has contacted them.

People who receive a suspicious call or message should end the conversation and contact the relevant institution or company using its officially listed contact details, Priedīte said. Anyone who suspects they have been scammed should contact their bank immediately and report the incident to the State Police.

Mobile operator Bite Latvija has launched a pilot project allowing legal entities, state and municipal institutions, and other organisations to apply free of charge to restrict the use of their names as SMS senders on the Bite network. The Road Traffic Safety Directorate, INDEXO Bank, SEB Bank and Swedbank are taking part.