Several cases have been brought to our attention where a fake police officer calls a customer and introduces himself as a police officer. The caller may, for example, say that your money is in danger and the police need your personal online user identifiers or that they are investigating fraud related to bank cards or other misuse. They may also come to your home or ask you to come to a specific place to meet.
In these cases, it is usually about a person impersonating a police officer who attempt to swindle personal online user identifiers, cash, bank cards with the PIN or valuables out of elderly people in particular.
Do the following if a police officer contacts you and you are not sure whether he/she is a real one or an impersonator:
- Ask his/her name and the police station where he/she works; Call him/her back through the police telephone exchange;
- The telephone exchanges of the police departments can be found at www.poliisi.fi.
- If a person who introduces himself/herself as a police officer comes to your door, ask him/her to show his/her badge.
- In acute cases, you can also call the emergency response centre. So if a patrol shows up at your door and you do not believe they are police officers, call the emergency response centre.