Fraud in Denmark: See how much
Fraudsters are creative in their methods, and some types of fraud are on the rise while others are on the decline. See how much for each type here.
Online banking fraud
Online banking fraud is the type of fraud where criminals attempt to gain access to money through online banks of victims. One way of gaining access is by contacting a victim, claiming to be from the bank and persuading them to transfer money. It may, however, also be by tricking the victim into handing over ID and password or clicking on something that installs a hacker program on their computer, phone or tablet.
In 2023, total online banking fraud experienced a record high 9,127 cases of victims being tricked into transferring a total of DKK 105 million to criminals.
In 2024, the development was heading in the right direction, but, in 2025, the number of cases increased again, and many millions ended up in the pockets of criminals.
In 2025, a total of 4,863 cases with an aggregate loss of DKK 91.1 million were reported.
A brilliant investment?
So-called investment fraud, where criminals lure victims into investing in scams, is also going the wrong way.
In 2025, criminals tried to get away with a record amount of DKK 255.8 million. However, banks were able to put a stop to some of the scams, and the total loss therefore landed at DKK 124.9 million in 2025.
Finance Denmark makes a reference to (in danish) a British study from December 2024 which concludes that social media play a major role in this type of fraud. In 46 per cent of the investment fraud cases in the UK, the platforms of Meta or Snapchat were used.
According to Finance Denmark, there have also here in Denmark been several examples of criminals misusing pictures and fake videos of celebrities on social media, tempting people with lucrative investments in, among other things, cryptocurrency.
When love comes at a high price
Another type of fraud is the so-called love fraud, where victims often believe they are in an emotional relationship with another person and are tricked into sending money to a fraudster.
After a rise in 2024, the level fell again in 2025. In total, the fake partners got away with DKK 22.5 million in 2024, while in 2025 the total loss had dropped to DKK 15.6 million.
According to Finance Denmark, there may, however, be a large number of unreported cases of this type of fraud because it is associated with great shame.
"Hello, this is the CEO"
Sometimes criminals target businesses instead. An example of this is the so-called CEO fraud, where a fraudster poses as a senior employee and asks someone else to transfer money from the company account.
Figures from Finance Denmark show that, in 2025, criminals tried to obtain DKK 48.8 million by way of fraud. And although some were stopped, they got away with DKK 11.4 million last year.
Another example is where criminals try their luck by using invoice fraud, issuing invoices to companies for goods or services they have never received. The invoices are typically for small amounts, making it easier for them to pass through the system without their authenticity being questioned. Invoice fraud may also occur by the fraudster pretending to be an existing supplier and sending information that payment should now be made to a different bank account.
In this case, figures from Finance Denmark show that, in 2025, criminals obtained DKK 37.5 million by fraud.
When the bank comes knocking on your door
Fraudsters are not just using digital tricks. They have also been successful in robbing elderly people in particular of money with the type of fraud known as doorstep scams.
These involve a criminal knocking on the door and telling the victim that his or her credit card has been hacked, but that the criminal is ready to lend a helping hand, offering to take the card and make sure nothing happens.
In the second quarter of 2025, there were 519 of such cases where fraudsters managed to get away with DKK 6.92 million. By comparison, the first quarter of 2025 saw 588 cases in which DKK 8.44 million was lost.