Finnish police and banks warn of rising tax refund scams

Finnish authorities and financial institutions are issuing warnings regarding an increase in sophisticated scams targeting tax refunds. The police have alerted citizens to fraudulent messages, sent via email, SMS, or phone, that impersonate the Finnish Tax Administration to steal banking credentials, credit card details, and personal information.

Criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create grammatically perfect messages and realistic voice impersonations, making social engineering attempts more convincing. The police emphasize that the tax administration never requests personal information via message and advise users to only access official services through the verified 'vero.fi' website.

In response to these threats, OP Financial Group has implemented security measures, including a 10,000 euro transfer limit for accounts without existing protections. The bank reports that approximately 85 percent of individual customer accounts now have security limits in place. Additionally, OP has introduced mobile app warnings to alert customers if they are attempting to make payments while simultaneously on a phone call, a common tactic used in social engineering scams.