Warning: Beware of scam messages about social services and dental care
The Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County has received several reports that scam messages about social services and dental care are being sent by text message and email.
The scam messages appear to have been sent from an outlook.com email address. Some ask recipients to pay a fee supposedly connected with the appointment. Scam messages have also reportedly been sent through the Suomi.fi service.
The scam messages may, for example, refer to a social services appointment at Komentajankatu.
People both in Western Uusimaa and elsewhere in Finland have received these messages.
Earlier in July, we also received reports of scam messages sent in the name of child welfare services. The messages claim that a child protection notification has been made and ask the recipient to submit a response. Recipients are also instructed to log in to a website using their online banking credentials. Read the news: Warning: Scam text messages are circulating in the name of child welfare services
What to do if you receive a suspicious message
- Do not pay any fee requested in the message.
- Do not open any links or attachments in the message.
- Do not disclose your banking details or personal information.
- If you are unsure whether the message is genuine, contact the wellbeing services county’s customer service or the unit the message claims to be from.
If you have opened the link and entered your online banking credentials or other sensitive information on a fraudulent website, contact your bank immediately and ask them to block your online banking credentials. Also report the incident to the police at poliisi.fi/en/report-a-crime(external link).
Authorities never ask customers to provide online banking credentials or other confidential personal information via text message, WhatsApp, or email. The Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County also never processes customer information through regular email, such as outlook.com addresses.