Metal company scammed out of €150,000 by Romanian fraudsters in Pirkanmaa region
A metal company in the Pirkanmaa region of Finland has lost €150,000 to scammers based in Romania. The fraudsters pretended to be representatives of a bank and managed to obtain the company’s banking credentials. The Pirkanmaa District Court placed the Romanian company’s assets under provisional attachment, and the funds are currently held by Romanian authorities.
On the first Thursday of November, the company unexpectedly discovered a significant amount missing from its account. The scammer, whose identity is currently unknown, contacted a representative of the company while impersonating a bank official. They claimed that the banking credentials were needed to block the processing of loan applications submitted on different days.
The regional police are treating the incident as a serious fraud and substantial money laundering case but cannot release further details as the investigation is ongoing.
The Pirkanmaa District Court has placed a provisional lien on the Romanian company’s assets, equating to the amount lost, which is now linked to its Romanian bank account. Authorities in Romania had already frozen the same sum in response to a request from a Finnish prosecutor.
According to Special Prosecutor Kaisa Ahva, collaboration with Romanian authorities aims to secure the frozen funds for return to Finland if a court ruling is issued against the accused. Ahva emphasizes that victims of such frauds should act immediately upon noticing suspicious transactions.
In an increasing trend, Finnish authorities routinely request the freezing of millions of euros transferred abroad to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In 2023 alone, requests worth €7.3 million were made, leading to the freezing of €2.7 million. As various schemes continue to rise, total attempted scams could exceed previous highs, with reports indicating attempts to defraud Finns of nearly €77 million this year.