14 DAY TRIAL // Internet users from Sweden may receive letters in which they’re accused of illegally downloading copyrighted adult content. Authorities say they have nothing to do with the notifications and they advise everyone not to pay the fines.
It’s uncertain at this point how the con artists pick out their victims, but it’s believed that it may have something to do with a certain website that collects sensitive information when internauts access it from their mobile phones, TorrentFreak reports.
First, the victim receives an SMS in which he/she is warned that a civil claim will be sent their way, threatening that they must pay a fine to avoid being reported to the police.
“According to Swedish law, it is your duty to find out if the movies can be downloaded or not,” part of the message reads.
The letter received in the second stage of the plot – apparently sent by Arcad World Corp - requests victims to deposit between 90 EUR ($110) and 195 EUR ($239) in a bank account at Valartis Bank in Liechtenstein.
Antipiratbyrån, Sweden’s anti-piracy bureau, the ones who would normally be handling copyright infringement-related incidents, claim that they have nothing to do with these letters. They advise everyone to alert authorities and, of course, not to pay the so-called fine.
“We have been approached by some 100 people across the country, consumer groups and others who are wondering what this is all about,” Sara Lindbäck of Antipiratbyrån explained.
Law enforcement representatives claim that a man from the southern part of the country might be responsible for the new type of scam. In the meantime, until everything is cleared up, they advise users not to pay any money to the scammers and report the fraud attempt to the police immediately.