Police: Individual Defrauded of 25 Million Euros Online
Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Finnish police are investigating a case where an individual was defrauded of 25 million euros online.
- The victim, from Southern Finland, was contacted via social media by someone posing as an investment service representative.
- The police suspect this is the largest online fraud case of its kind in Finland and are collaborating internationally.
Finnish police are investigating a massive online fraud case involving a single individual who lost approximately 25 million euros. The victim, residing in Southern Finland, was reportedly contacted through social media channels by an individual claiming to represent an investment service provider. According to police, this incident is suspected to be the largest of its kind in Finland. The investigation, classified as aggravated fraud, began in May following the victim's report. The alleged crimes occurred several months prior to the report. Sakari Tuominen, head of the cybercrime investigation unit at the Central Finland Police Department, stated that no other victims are currently known. The investigation suggests the victim was persuaded to create an account on an online investment platform and transfer funds. Initially, the platform appeared to function normally, allowing the victim to withdraw some investments, which seemingly increased their trust. However, the victim eventually lost access to their account and could no longer contact the service provider, with the remaining funds not being returned. Police suspect the entire investment platform was created specifically for carrying out cybercrimes and believe the operation is international in scope. Finnish authorities are cooperating with law enforcement agencies in other countries as part of the investigation.
Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.