Swedish police are warning of a wave of fake SMS pretending to be from Polismyndigheten, urging recipients to pay traffic fines via a link. Scammers threaten fines and travel bans if payment is not made within two hours. A 72-year-old woman in Stockholm received 25 such messages in one day.
Fake SMS are currently spreading across Sweden, including Örebro county, Stockholm, and Jönköping. The messages claim to be from "Svensk polis" and notify of an "expired traffic fine" that must be paid within two hours via a link. A typical message reads: "Svensk polis reminds you: You have an expired traffic fine that has reached its final payment date. Please check and pay within two hours. Check immediately." Scammers warn further: "Note: Delayed payment may lead to fines, debt enforcement, vehicle deregistration, and travel ban."
Yvonne, 72, in Stockholm received 25 SMS from lunchtime, the first at 12:07. She owns no car but quickly realized it was a scam attempt. "I think this is extremely unpleasant," she says. Yvonne called the police at 114 14 and waited 45 minutes in queue. They confirmed numerous similar cases from across the country.
Police spokespeople Sophia Jiglind in polisregion Bergslagen and Olle Älveroth in the eastern region confirm the scale. "It seems widespread," says Jiglind. "Police do not send this type of messages," states Älveroth. Polismyndigheten states on its website that it never contacts individuals via SMS, email, or phone for such matters, but uses letters or digital mailboxes.
Police strongly advise against clicking the links and urge reporting to police instead. It is unclear if anyone has fallen for the scam and paid.