In Latvia, 56% of the population has experienced attempts at financial fraud, told SEB banka, referring to the bank’s survey data.
Among them, according to the survey, the most frequent – 43% – of the population received offers to make large profits quickly, initially making small investments, while 17% of the population encountered fake trading platforms on the Internet, and 14% encountered pretending to be banks or other financial institutions with false statements. or telephone calls made on behalf of those authorities.
Survey data show that in more than 60% of cases, people aged 30-49 have experienced fraudulent situations.
At the same time, the survey data show that the population is becoming more aware – 78% of respondents who have encountered fraudulent activities have been able to recognize them and have successfully avoided financial losses.
“It doesn’t matter what age, education or job position is – fraudsters can surprise each of us unprepared by convincingly using various manipulation methods. This is also shown by the survey data – cases of fraud affect men, women, young people and seniors equally. , as well as those living in the capital and the regions, “said Oskars Blumbergs, an information technology (IT) security expert at SEB banka.
He pointed out that it is important for everyone to be co-responsible for their own financial security, using the opportunities offered by the bank on a daily basis – to reduce the payment limits to the amount required for daily payments, as well as to disable the payment card. You also need to regularly monitor your account activity to see if anything unusual is happening.
Blumberg mentioned that the situations and scenarios created by fraudsters can be varied, and the ability to recognize them depends very much on the context. Sometimes self-published information is also used to increase the moment of credibility.
“Analyzing the results of our test, we see that citizens are best placed to recognize the seemingly simplest and most conspicuous fraudulent methods, such as romantic fraud or high-return investments. In turn, it is more difficult to recognize fraudulent websites or bank statements. “There is a lack of understanding of who and when can request Internet banking user data or other personal information. It is therefore essential to keep up-to-date on data and financial security in the digital environment so that we as a society become more aware and avoid financial loss.” said Blumbergs.
The survey was conducted by the research company “Norstat” from October 9 to 13. It was attended by 1,002 Latvians aged 18 to 74.
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