Fraud and security

Someone phones you, claiming to work for your bank, broadband provider or even the police. They may say that fraudsters have hacked your account.

They may ask you for sensitive security information to stop any money leaving. This could include your social security number or BankID password.

They may also suggest moving your money to a safe account, ask you to pay a fee, or to send a test payment to an account. 

Of course, the caller is a fraudster. If they have enough information, they’ll be able to access and empty your accounts. Because they may know your personal details, they can sound very convincing and put you under pressure to act quickly. 

How to stay safe
Remember that these scammers can ‘spoof’ genuine phone numbers, such as ours. This is when they change their caller ID to make you think someone familiar is calling you. But there’s one thing to remember - we’ll never phone you and ask you for personal information. If you’re on a call and feel uncomfortable, hang up immediately. Don’t worry about being rude. Contact your adviser or Support24 for further guidance. 

We’ll never ask you for your internet banking security information, including your passwords, PIN or personal information. Remember – these codes are used to authorise payments. You shouldn’t share them with anyone. 

Just because our number comes up when your phone rings, it doesn’t always mean it’s us. We won’t mind if you hang up or question whether you’re really speaking to us. 

We’ll never ask you to pay a fee to stop a fraudulent transaction, ask you to send a test payment or ask you to move your money to another account to keep it safe.

‘Phishing’ emails try to trick you into sharing personal details or clicking on a fake link. At first, they may look genuine. They could appear to be from your bank, your broadband provider, or another trusted source. They may ask you to click on a link or open an attached file. 

How to stay safe

If you get an email that claims to be from us, but that asks you for sensitive information, you can ignore it. If it asks you to open an attachment or click a link, be very cautious. You can check if a link is real by hovering over it with your cursor, but without clicking on it, to see if it’s the website address you expect. Also have a look at how the email’s written. Bad spelling or grammar suggests this email is not as it seems. 

Fraudsters are very good at replicating emails so don’t assume an email is genuine just because it looks convincing. Instead, contact Support24 or your adviser to see if it really did come from us. Please forward any suspicious emails to reportphish@handelsbanken.se (don’t send a screenshot or image of the email). 

You may receive a text message that may appear to be legitimate. It could seem to have come from us, another bank, the postal services, a supplier, or someone who might normally send you a text. 

It will try to catch you with your guard down. This could be asking you pay for a missed delivery or asking you to move money because your account has been compromised.

You might be asked to provide your user name, password, account number, credit card number or other confidential information, or the message may ask you to click on a link. Clicking on this link will then download a virus or malware onto your device.

Sometimes the sender may just be an unknown mobile number, but it may appear as a familiar name, like your bank or the postal services. This doesn't mean it's real. Criminals can spoof these and mask the origin of their own scam texts.

How to stay safe
If you receive text messages appearing to come from Handelsbanken with questions like this, don’t reply.

Be careful of any text message that asks you to click a link, especially if it’s anything that encourages you to act quickly.

If the message claims to be from Handelsbanken, it may say your account has been compromised or ask you to confirm if you recognise a payment.

Contact your branch or Support24 immediately.

This is where fraudsters use personal information like name, date of birth, current or previous addresses to fraudulently:

• Open bank accounts.
• Take out credit, loans or phone contracts.
• Order goods and services.
• Take over existing contracts or subscriptions.

How to stay safe
Don’t ignore it. Act quickly. If you think you’ve been a victim of identity fraud report it to the relevant organisations. If you’re not sure which organisation to call, contact the police for advice.

Fraudsters take advantage of people’s weakness for ‘get rich quick’ investments. They do this either through cold calling or false ads on social media, promising high returns once you’ve signed up. To take out the fake investment you’re asked personal information and then asked to make a deposit. This is often followed up by a call to encourage you to “invest” more for a better return.

How to stay safe
By following some basic guidance you can help protect yourself

• Do your research and get some independent advice. A lack of understanding can lead to you losing money.
• Take a moment to think. If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• Be wary of anything that promises “guaranteed returns”. There’s no such thing with genuine investments.
• Any advertisement can be made to look professional to convince you it’s from a genuine source, don’t assume it is real. 
• Make sure the website you’re using has all the usual security signs: a padlock in the address bar and an ‘s’ in https.
• Be wary of celebrity endorsements, which aren’t always real.
• As with all fraud, you should never feel pressured into making a decision about investing your money.

Fraudsters create fake profiles on dating sites and apps, often using stolen photos from a legitimate profile. After getting you to lower your guard, they’ll start asking you for money.

This is a particularly effective scam because it plays on the basic human desire for love and companionship. The criminals prey on everyone, but are especially keen to get you at your most vulnerable – if you’re widowed, recently divorced, recovering from illness, and so on.

Signs to look out for:

• They claim to have strong feelings at an early stage.
• They’ll often say they live overseas, or travel frequently for business.
• They are evasive about meeting up in person or virtually. They’ll always have an excuse, although they may be willing to talk on the phone so you can only hear their voice.
• The ‘sob story’. They may tell a story about needing money for an emergency; an ill family member, they’ve been a victim of theft or they are stranded or in debt. 
• Although they will usually ask you for money, they may be clever enough to not ask you directly, but to share their ‘problem’ and take advantage of your kindness by hoping you offer to help.
• If the victim challenges them, they’ll make them feel guilty by saying things like “I thought you loved me.”

How to stay safe
Have you met this person face to face? If you’ve only spoken to them online or by text or email, this person may not be who they say they are.

Even if you have met them, ask yourself why someone you haven’t known for long would ask you for money.

In addition, be careful with what you tell this person about yourself, especially if you haven’t met them. Fraudsters have been known to take out loans and credit cards in the names of their victims.