Fake police officer scams Lappeenranta woman out of 16,400 euros

Two men have been convicted of money laundering after a woman in Lappeenranta lost 16,400 euros in a fake police scam, Yle reports.

The South Karelia District Court, a regional court, issued the judgments on Tuesday. The scam took place in February 2022, when someone claiming to be a police officer called the woman and persuaded her to hand over the banking credentials needed to access her account.

The money was then transferred to two separate accounts. The owner of one account withdrew the money in cash and handed it to an unidentified person, receiving 200 euros in return.

Cash withdrawals from the second account were made by another unidentified person who had obtained the bank card and its PIN.

The court sentenced one man to three months of suspended imprisonment and the other to 30 hours of community service. Both had previous convictions, which affected the sentences.

The judgments can still be appealed and are not final.

Southwest Finland police have repeatedly warned in recent years that genuine police officers never ask for bank card details or online banking credentials. Such information should not be given to anyone outside the account holder.