Fraud help in Sweden: take the first steps
A caller pretending to be your bank, a fraudulent marketplace seller or a forged recruitment message can put your money and identity at risk. If you approved something with BankID or sent a payment, tell your bank exactly what happened so it can assess the affected services. This fraud help guide for Sweden brings together practical steps and official resources so you can decide whom to contact and what information to prepare.
Start with the most immediate risk. If money or bank access is involved, contact your bank promptly. Keep the original messages and documents, and write down what happened while it is fresh in your mind. You can ask for help before you have gathered every piece of evidence.
Use the right reporting service
Polisen handles criminal complaints. Your bank can help secure payment access, while consumer guidance explains how to raise a dispute. If identity information was misused, follow up on unfamiliar credit checks and invoices as well. Start with the Swedish Police fraud reporting guidance, then follow the relevant sections below for banking, identity protection and consumer complaints. Keep copies of reports and reference numbers so you can follow up consistently.
Check suspicious letters and payment requests
A real company name, familiar logo or official-looking document is not enough to establish authenticity. Read our guide to company letterhead security and impersonation scams, and learn how secure business communication can help organisations make correspondence easier to verify.
Contact the claimed sender through details you find independently before taking further action. Be cautious of unsolicited recovery offers that demand an advance payment or promise guaranteed results. For incidents involving another jurisdiction, visit the country-by-country Fraud Help directory.
1. Stop Further Losses
Call 112 if a crime is happening now or police are needed urgently. For non-emergency reporting in Sweden, call 114 14.
Stop communicating with the suspected scammer and do not send more money. Contact your bank immediately if money, card details or account access are involved. Save messages, payment records and suspicious documents. If someone has remote access to your device, disconnect it from the internet and contact your bank from another trusted device.
2. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider
Use your bank’s official app or a trusted telephone number. Explain whether a payment was unauthorised or you were deceived into approving it. Ask about securing cards and online banking, tracing transactions and any available recall or dispute process. Keep a written record of your notification and the bank’s response. Do not send money to a caller’s supposed “safe account”. Recovery depends on the circumstances and is not guaranteed.
Tell your bank if you used BankID or Swish during the incident. Ask it to secure affected banking access and block a compromised BankID. BankID guidance: https://support.bankid.com/en/security/block-bankid
Submit a written complaint if you disagree with the bank’s decision. Konsumentverket explains that an eligible dispute may be referred to Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (ARN); check the current requirements before applying. Guidance: https://www.konsumentverket.se/konsumentratt/bankbedragerier-och-kortbedragerier/
3. Report the Fraud to Police
Report fraud by calling 114 14 or visiting a police station. From abroad, call +46 77 114 14 00. Some fraud categories have an online reporting option on the police website; use it only if your situation meets the listed requirements.
Prepare a short timeline, payment records, recipient account details, original messages, website addresses and copies of suspicious documents. Explain how the contact began and what money or information you shared. Keep the complaint reference and any instructions for providing additional evidence.
Explain if BankID, a payment card, Swish or your bank account was involved, and whether you were tricked into approving a transaction. Do not delay contacting your bank while waiting to complete the police report.
4. Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud
Report online fraud to Polisen through the relevant fraud reporting route. Call 114 14 or visit a station when your case is not covered by an available online service. Reporting an account or advert to a platform is an additional step and does not file a police complaint.
Save the original messages, usernames, advert URLs, payment details and screenshots before blocking the sender. For a compromised account, change the password from a trusted device and end unfamiliar sessions. If BankID may be compromised, block it through your bank’s official process immediately.
5. Protect Your Identity
If BankID is compromised, block it using your bank’s official service and report suspected identity theft to police. If a Swedish police-issued passport or national identity card is stolen, call 114 14 to have it blocked. Contact the issuing authority for other documents.
Notify every bank, lender, telecom provider or online platform where your identity was misused. Dispute unfamiliar accounts or debts in writing and keep the replies. Change compromised passwords from a trusted device, secure your email first and enable two-factor authentication. If an identity document is lost or stolen, contact its issuing authority about reporting, blocking or replacement.
Pay attention to unfamiliar invoices and credit-enquiry notices. Dispute any fraudulent purchase or credit application with the company in writing and keep the police reference.
6. Protect Your Credit
Swedish police advise contacting credit-information companies if your identity is misused. If someone has requested a credit check in your name, contact the company identified on the notice and ask to block your personal identity number against further misuse through its fraud process.
Ask which providers the block covers, what evidence is required, how long it lasts and how to renew it. Do not assume that one contact blocks all credit or every company. Check unfamiliar notices and dispute fraudulent credit with the lender as well. Police guidance: https://polisen.se/utsatt-for-brott/polisanmalan/bedragerier/bedragerier/identitetsbedrageri/
7. Consumer-Protection Resources
Konsumentverket provides consumer guidance about banking fraud, card fraud and misleading business practices: https://www.konsumentverket.se/omrade/bluffar-och-bedragerier/
Complain to the company or bank in writing and retain its response. If an individual dispute remains unresolved, check whether it can be considered by ARN under its current eligibility rules. A regulator report, an ARN dispute and a police complaint serve different purposes. Suspected criminal fraud should also be reported to police.
8. Employment and Immigration Fraud
Verify the employer through independently sourced contact details. Keep the job advertisement, offer letter, recruiter messages and payment requests. Report fraudulent adverts to the hosting platform. If you paid money or shared identity documents, contact your bank and police and follow the identity-protection steps above. For immigration claims, confirm the procedure and official fees with the responsible authority or consulate; a professional-looking letter does not prove that it is genuine.
Be especially cautious if a supposed employer asks you to sign with BankID during an unsolicited call or to receive and forward payments through your personal account. Confirm Swedish work-permit claims independently with the responsible government authority before paying further fees.
Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers
Emergency: 112.
Police non-emergency in Sweden: 114 14.
Police from abroad: +46 77 114 14 00.
Police fraud reporting: https://polisen.se/utsatt-for-brott/polisanmalan/bedragerier/bedragerier/
Block BankID: https://support.bankid.com/en/security/block-bankid
Consumer fraud guidance: https://www.konsumentverket.se/omrade/bluffar-och-bedragerier/
Report the Fraud
Swedish Police Authority (Polisen) for criminal complaints; Konsumentverket for consumer guidance
Official Sources
- Swedish Police: fraud reporting
- Swedish Police: telephone numbers
- Swedish Police: scam calls and emergencies
- Swedish Police: identity fraud and credit-information companies
- Swedish Police: stolen identity documents
- BankID: blocking BankID
- Konsumentverket: banking and card fraud
- Konsumentverket: scams and fraud
Received a suspicious business document?
Check whether a document issued through VerifiableLetter is authentic.
Important: This guide provides general information, not legal, financial or emergency advice. Procedures and contact details can change. Confirm requirements with the relevant authority. Reporting does not guarantee investigation, reimbursement or recovery.