Estonia records no phone scams in August

Estonia recorded no phone scams in August, ERR reported, citing Jaagup Toompuu, head of the Scam Prevention and Resolution Centre, who spoke on the Terevisioon programme.

Toompuu said the situation had improved as several large call centres had been shut down in recent months. He added that August had the lowest figures recorded in Estonia in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Damage caused by scams during the first eight months of this year was also lower than during the same period last year. Losses from the four main types of scams had fallen by nearly four million euros, Toompuu said.

Although the figures remained high, he said scammers were finding new methods. Phishing attempts had increased somewhat because call centres were currently disrupted.

Phishing messages direct recipients to links where they may be asked for information such as bank card details. The messages can be sent in the name of banks or government agencies.

Toompuu advised people to check the sender’s number and the institution on whose behalf the message was sent. Any alleged obligation should be verified through the institution’s own online service, and recipients should not click on links included in the message.

One warning sign is pressure to act quickly. Recipients may be urged to pay a small amount immediately and warned that late fees will soon be added. In some cases, scammers try to charge money when people reply to the message. Such messages may come from special types of numbers, and responding to them can result in higher charges.

Recent phishing messages have generally been of poor quality, and police have received only isolated reports of people falling for them. Toompuu said phishing losses had also fallen significantly this year.

He also described cases in which victims did not believe genuine police officers who came to help them and instead thought they were impostors. Scammers may create a convincing story during a lengthy conversation, making it difficult for victims to break away from it.

To identify a genuine police officer, people should remember that the police do not involve individuals in secret operations by phone or arrange the handover of money or bank cards over the telephone. Anyone who falls victim to a scam should contact their bank and report the incident to the police.