Minus 24 million euros: scammers deceiving residents of Latvia made significant efforts last year 0 6

In total, the State Police received 8,701 reports of fraud and attempted fraud. In 3,165 cases, people were defrauded of at least €23,767,429. As noted by the police, the loot of scammers increasingly exceeds the amounts of cash or funds in bank accounts – residents hand over jewelry, cryptocurrency, and in some cases even sell real estate to transfer the proceeds to the scammers.

The most common type of fraud in 2025 was vishing fraud (criminals call, posing as employees of banks, police, or government agencies, creating panic, urgency, or offering benefits to make the victim disclose logins, passwords, card details, or transfer funds), followed by SMS fraud (smishing) and investment fraud. Telephone fraud led both in the number of cases and in the number of victims and the amount of damage. A total of 6,479 cases of telephone fraud were registered, accounting for about 55% of all fraud cases.

The most common types of telephone fraud were fake calls from utility providers (“Latvenergo,” “Elektrum,” “Enefit,” “Sadales tīkls”), so-called “shock calls” allegedly from relatives or friends about traffic accidents, fake calls from mobile operators, the State Police, and other state or municipal institutions.

As a result of such fraud, residents lost more than €13 million. Communication with criminals mainly took place through platforms like “WhatsApp,” “Telegram,” “Facebook Messenger,” “Instagram,” and others. Most often, the victims of telephone fraud were people over 60 years old, especially in the age group of 70 to 90 years. These individuals most often believed the deception about “help” with technical issues – checking or replacing meters, preventing “leakage” of money from bank accounts, as well as helping a relative in trouble.

The second most common type of fraud last year was fake SMS messages, in which people were urged to click on a link and enter confidential information. Scammers often created a fictitious sense of urgency, prompting users to enter online banking data or “Smart-ID,” as well as to confirm transactions.

In 2025, 732 cases of such fraud were registered, with damages amounting to €734,671. Most affected were people aged 40 to 59, which is associated with higher financial and digital activity in this group. The police note that, except for messages from the State Revenue Service (SRS), such SMS do not have a seasonal nature – messages supposedly from courts, the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), and courier services are sent throughout the year.

Investment fraud remained relevant in 2025. According to police observations, people increasingly contact scammers themselves by filling out questionnaires under ads with fake success stories and mentions of famous personalities on social media. After filling out the questionnaires, they are contacted by “proxy brokers,” whose actions lead to the theft of funds from bank accounts and the issuance of loans in the names of the victims.

Last year, 479 cases of investment fraud were registered, in which residents lost €6,702,730. Most often, men were affected (54%), with victims' ages ranging from 20 to 90 years. It is in investment schemes that the largest amounts are most often lost in a single episodic operation, as the deception lasts a long time, creating an illusion of profit and successful investments, the police notes.

Phishing using fake emails was registered in 466 cases last year, of which in 229 cases the damage amounted to €413,268. Scammers actively used fake websites of the SRS, CSDD, “Latvijas Pasts,” banks, and government institutions, including advertising on Google Ads, to redirect users to fake pages. Payment order fraud was registered in 46 cases with losses amounting to €1,222,713. Victims were sent fake invoices from addresses that visually resembled real ones.

“Romantic” fraud was recorded in 26 cases, resulting in 20 people losing €166,858. Most often, the victims were women who were seduced during prolonged communication. Unfortunately, this type of fraud is characterized by high latency, as victims often do not report to law enforcement for various reasons, the police states.

Various other types of fraud were registered in 365 cases, with a total damage amounting to €1,252,588. Usually, victims' money disappeared from bank accounts, but they could not explain how it happened. Losses amounting to €122,635 were also recorded due to participation in fake lotteries – most often in the name of banks that allegedly offered easy winnings of cash prizes.

Oleg Filatov, head of the 2nd department of the Cybercrime Combat Division of the State Police, believes that the scale of fraud indicates that the problem has become systemic. “Therefore, we urge residents to be especially vigilant and to critically assess any call, SMS, or letter requesting personal information, bank access data, or urgent money transfers. Scammers increasingly use psychological pressure, create a sense of urgency, and disguise themselves with the names of authorities to prompt thoughtless actions. Public awareness is a crucial factor in preventing fraud: most of these crimes can be recognized in time and prevented if one remains calm and does not disclose confidential information,” emphasizes the police officer.