Over 33,000 identity thefts were committed in Finland in 2017, and the problem is not just limited to the largest cities. At the moment, the number of identity thefts is on the rise especially in cities with over 100,000 inhabitants. As a response, safety and insurance service provider mySafety will open a new office in Kuopio, Finland, in June.
Almost every sixth of us knows someone who has been a victim of identity theft, as revealed by a recent study commissioned by mySafety in February and March. Identity thefts are now occurring increasingly often also outside the Helsinki region.
In 2017, identity thefts were committed seven times more often than for example burglaries. A third of the thefts are committed with the help of social media or information available on the internet. Over 33,000 identity thefts were committed in Finland in 2017.
Services and insurances provided by mySafety have approximately 120,000 users in Finland. As the problem is not limited to the largest cities, safety and insurance service company mySafety is opening its first office outside the Helsinki region in Finland.
According to mySafety Department Manager Johanna Abgottspon, personal data is not only stolen from private persons but also from companies at the moment. “Corporate decision makers are at a higher risk of having their identity stolen than others,” Abgottspon says.
“A typical example of identity theft committed against an SME is a situation where a person claims VAT refunds in the company’s name by using the decision maker’s identity and pretending to be them. The thief can wreak havoc across the entire company,” Abgottspon concludes.
mySafety has over 1.5 million users in the Nordics with approximately 120,000 in Finland.