Urmet Tambre, head of the Northern Prefecture's Criminal Bureau, said over the past week, there has been an increase in cases where scammer call people pretending to be employees of Eesti Energia or Enefit.

They claim that due to the desynchronization of the Estonian and Russian power grids, an electricity meter replacement is necessary. The callers speak Russian.

"In some cases, they ask for payment for the meter replacement by having the person enter their PIN codes on their phone, thereby giving consent for the exchange. In reality, this allows scammers to access the person's bank account and withdraw all the money in it," Tambre explained in a statement.

In another variation of the scheme, the initial call from the supposed energy company is quickly followed by another call, allegedly from the person's bank. This is also from the scammers.

"A fraudster posing as a bank employee claims that the previous call from Eesti Energia or Enefit was made by scammers, and that immediate measures must be taken to protect the person's bank account. They then ask the person to enter their PIN codes, granting the scammers access to their money," Tambre said.

Tallinn woman hands over €17,000

There have also been cases where scammers send a courier to the victim's home to collect cash, claiming that it will be taken to a bank for safekeeping.

In reality, the courier is part of the scam, and all the phone calls are made by fraudsters attempting to steal money.

The PPA said most people hang up when asked for PIN codes or when a courier is sent to collect money. But one woman from Tallinn recently fell victim to this scheme.

She handed over more than €17,000 in cash to a criminal who came to her door. The women believed the money would be taken to a secure location to protect it from scammers, but in reality, she gave it directly to the criminals.

The police are investigating the exact details of the incident.

Enefit: Our customer service representatives speak Estonian

Enefit's head of the Estonian market Santa Tohver said the company's representatives always speak Estonian and never ask customers to enter Smart-ID or Mobile-ID PIN codes for any reason.

"Enefit does not offer an electricity meter replacement service, and there is absolutely no need to replace an electricity meter due to the desynchronization from the Russian power grid," she confirmed.

"Everyone can see their billing information in Enefit's self-service portal or by calling our customer service. If you have any doubts about whether the caller is truly an Enefit employee, hang up and call our customer service number at 777 4040 to verify," Tohver advised.

PPA: No legitimate institution asks for PIN codes over phone

Urmet Tambre from the Northern Prefecture's Criminal Bureau stressed that no legitimate institution ever asks people to enter their PIN codes over the phone.

No do they ask for savings to be handed over to a courier at the door.

"If you suspect you are speaking with a scammer, end the call immediately. If you have already shared your PIN code or agreed to hand over cash, contact the police immediately by calling 112," he said.

In January, more than 50 people in Estonia fell victim to banking fraud, with total losses reaching nearly €400,000.

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