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Ad fraud has increased dramatically this year.
According to the police, free ads on Facebook are a big problem.
– Facebook is free and free is good, but it means you put yourself at greater risk, says Jan Olsson, commissioner of crimes in the police section of TI’s national crime center.
Major bank Nordea recently issued the following warning: “At this time, there are attempts at fraud when buying and selling gadgets on digital sales platforms.”
And according to the police’s own statistics, ad fraud is the only form of fraud that has increased in 2020.
At the same time that fraud as a whole decreased by 13 percent during the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, ad fraud increased by 20 percent.
The increase is greatest in the Western Region with nearly 50 more cases reported this year, according to a report from the National Police Fraud Center.
Advertising fraud consists mainly of deceiving the buyer with money by pretending to offer something that does not exist; leases and mobile phones are popular in these contexts, according to Jan Olsson, who works on computer fraud in the police.
But contrary to popular belief, the Blocket advertising site is not the biggest problem today:
– Blocket puts a lot of effort and money to prevent these types of crimes from happening, if you compare it with the Facebook buy and sell site, where you do not invest in secure payment solutions or check as much as in Blocket, says Jan Olsson.
What Facebook is missing, for example, are warnings that raise awareness among buyers or sellers and call for caution. But the biggest obligation falls, after all, on those who sign the deal – you as a buyer or seller, he says.
– You should get together and see what you buy. It’s when the product must be shipped that a hazard arises, says Jan Olsson.
Photo: Marcus Eriksson
Jan Olsson, Commissioner of Crimes at TI’s National Crime Center
What are the warning signs?
– That it must go fast, that there are many who ask for the product and you have to pay quickly, otherwise it will disappear.
– And you should feel free to click or make a quick transaction without having seen the product, says and continues:
– If the seller is in a hurry, it is also a sign that everything may not be okay.
When it comes to objects, it can be anything from boats to puppies, Olsson says.
– Electronics and mobile phones are hot. Apartments are always in short supply.
– But there are many ways to protect yourself. You can look up who lives at the address and call to see if the right person is answering and ask if the person should rent your apartment.
– But as always, it’s hurry, hurry, hurry. The item disappears if you don’t send an advance and so on.
If you can’t comply, you should use the payment solutions that serious advertising sites have.
– Those who do not have secure payment solutions quickly realize that they must go there.
Do not buy. Facebook is free and free is good, but it means you put yourself at greater risk, says Jan Olsson.
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