Mette messed with scammer: "It's better they waste their time on me"
Mette Winther Eriksen started texting about everything from fictitious family members to dinner with a scammer. She shares her experience to shed light on the scammers' tactics.
Did you remember Conny's present list?
She quickly decides to turn the situation into something fun,
and over the next few hours, she carries on the correspondence. During this time, the scammer tries their best to convince her to transfer money for a new phone, while Mette Winther Eriksen contributes to the conversation with questions like "How did the interview go?", "Did you remember Conny's present list" and "What did you buy for dinner?"
She never gets answers to her questions, but that was never her goal.
"All the time they spend on me, they are not scamming old Erna, Ellen, Curt or Paul. It's better to let them waste their time on me," she says, laughing.
Yet, when questioned about the scammers and their tactics, her demeanor turns serious again.
"I just think it's so mean. Unbelievable – who would even think of doing that? It's downright vile. I wonder if their parents have been exposed to scamming like this?" says Mette Winther Eriksen.
According to Finance Denmark, in the first half of 2024, criminals managed to obtain a total of DKK 209 million by means of various scamming tactics. The banks managed to stop some of it, but just over half the amount – DKK 111 million – ended up in the pockets of criminals.
The many tactics of scammers
Mette Winther Eriksen has also encountered all kinds of scams and tactics when frustrated and embarrassed customers call in.
"It comes in waves. I think they regularly introduce different scenarios. For instance, pretending to be MitID, Borger.dk or OK Benzin (Personal digital ID, the official website to life in Denmark and a Danish petrol company) or whatever they can come up with," she says.
She has also spoken with customers who have fallen victim to the same tactic scammers attempted on her.
"An elderly lady called in and said that she had received a similar text message that said 'hi mutti'. As her son called her 'mutti', she really believed it was him."
When young people call in, it's often because a too-good-to-be-true online offer has led them to hand over their payment details.
Having lived on the Thule Air Base, now known as Pituffik, in Greenland for 12 years, with no shops and all shopping done online, Mette Winther Eriksen has developed a healthy skepticism.
"Since I'm quite experienced, I pay close attention to the messages I get about withdrawals or reservations on my card, so I know what they should look like," she explains.
Spread the word
Mette Winther Eriksen has a background in banking, and after four years at the airport and eight years working for an HR department at the American air base in Greenland, she returned home to Denmark and her job at Sydbank eight years ago.
She shared her scamming encounter on Facebook and LinkedIn, and those posts received a lot of attention. That pleases her, because her goal has always been to spread a message.
"If everybody talks about it, we might help prevent financial crime, fraud, money laundering and the actions of these thugs. "If everybody makes an effort and talks to the older generation about these tactics, we might prevent at least one person from becoming a victim," she says.