Scam text messages and phishing

Bluff-sms och bluffmejl - Engelska

The aim is to trick you into giving away money, hijacking your accounts, or stealing your personal information. When fraudsters try to get you to disclose your information in various ways, it is called phishing. Be careful about what you click on and never disclose private information such as account numbers or login details.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

Please note:

Have you been trapped in a subscription due to phishing or a scam text message, for example for dietary supplements or a streaming service? Then you also can read about subscription traps.

Subscription traps

Keep this in mind

  • Do not respond to text messages or emails you suspect are scams.

  • Do not click on links.

  • Do not open attached files.

  • Never give out personal information such as your personal identity number, account number, card number of login details.

  • Remember, an offer that sounds too good to be true probably is.

Choose what you want to read more about

  • Scam text messages and phishing emails are sent with the aim of tricking you into giving away money, hijacking your accounts or stealing your personal information. When fraudsters try to get you to disclose your information in various ways, it is called phishing.

    The message may appear to come from anyone, such as your bank, an authority or a well-known company.

    They often link to fake websites with web addresses that often resemble the real ones.

    All scam text messages and scam emails contain different types of prompts that the scammer wants you to act on.

    Examples of common prompts:

    • Click on a link. The link takes you to a fake website. here, your personal information, such as card details, passwords, or codes is requested.
    • Call a specific number or email a specific email address. If you do so, the fraudsters will try to trick you into giving away money or valuable information.
    • Transfer money. This could involve fake fundraisers, for example.

  • Scams in the form of fake text messages or emails can vary.

    For example, it could be a fake message from your bank. In these messages, fraudsters try to get you to click on a link by making you worried or curious.

    It could also be a fake text message from a postal service. The message can look very realistic. It might say that you have underpaid shipping fees or that a package is stuck in customs. Be vigilant and think about whether you have actually ordered something. Also, check if the sender is identified. If you are unsure, contact the postal service directly and ask.

    Sometimes it is a fake message from a streaming service. This is becoming more common. The message might say that your subscription has expired, that payments have not been processed, or that you need to update your details.

    Other times, it might be an attempt to access your login details or to infect your computer with a virus or similar.

    You might also receive fake text messages about a false competition, survey, or various types of offers. These offers are often too good to be true. If you click through, you might get stuck in various types of subscriptions.

    Subscription traps

  • Tips to reduce the risk of being scammed:

    • Always be cautious if you receive an email or text message from a sender you do not recognize. Look carefully at who sent the email or text message. Scammers often tries to appear as a serious company to make you believe that it is a serious message.
    • Do not click on links and do not open attachments in emails that you are not sure you can trust.
    • Never give out any private information such as your personal identity number, account number or card number in emails or text messages.
    • Never give out login details for your online bank or your bank ID. It may appear that the email or text message is sent from your bank, but your bank will never ask you to send login details or bank information.
    • Do not participate in competitions from senders you do not recognize.
    • Remember, an offer that sounds too good to be true probably is.

  • If you have accidentally clicked on a link, Internetstiftelsen (the Internet Foundation) has information on what you can do.

    Information on Internetstiftelsens website (in Swedish)

  • Have you provided card or account details or similar information to fraudsters? Contact your bank immediately to block your card or account.

    Have you donated money to a fake charity? Check if the bank can stop the transaction.

    Have you discovered that someone has made purchases or withdrawn money with your card? You must report the fraud to the police. You should also dispute the unauthorized purchases or withdrawals with your bank

  • If you suspect that the email you received is a scam, you can report it to the police.

    The website for the Swedish Police

  • Many operators have their own numbers where you can report fraud. However, to simplify the process for customers, operators have established a common short number, 7726, so that all suspicious text messages are easily gathered in one place. This allows more cases to be detected and all operators to act simultaneously.

    How to report a text message

    Forward the message to the short number 7726. The numbers correspond to the word SPAM on the phone keypad and are globally established for reporting scam text messages. This allows operators to block scam text messages from being sent to more people.

Proofread: 24 April 2025