Hannes Kelt, head of the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) cyber and economic fraud department, noted that the number of fraud cases and damages remained steady compared to the previous year, though there are still too many incidents.

The PPA says it is worried about scammers convincing victims to hand over cash or use parcel machines, with an increase in cash scams in 2024 – as of the last month of last year, scammers had defrauded Estonian citizens and residents of €7.2 million in total, the paper reported.

Kelt emphasized that any money-related situation should be approached rationally, as fraudsters are skilled at convincing victims with well-prepared schemes.

He advised that taking a moment to pause and think can prevent significant mistakes in cases where fraudsters ask for access to personal information or money.

For example, one woman in Lääne County fell victim to a hybrid fraud scheme where scammers posing as company and bank employees over the phone – the first caller was speaking in Russian – caused her to have over €11,000 in fraudulent loans taken out in her name and from her bank account.

"Estonians are very well-mannered," Kelt claimed, adding this makes them reluctant to hang up on or report fraudsters when called.

"Once the scammer realizes that communication is viable despite a language barrier, there is a high chance they'll succeed in their plan," he noted.

With the possible exception of "romance scams," there is no particular demographic scammers have in mind, Kelt added, noting that younger people can be just as vulnerable as the elderly.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!