Fraudulent news articles impersonating Iltalehti circulating in Finland

Several fraudulent news articles tailored to mimic legitimate media content are currently circulating on various platforms, leading to financial losses for unsuspecting individuals. One such scam disguises itself as online news from Iltalehti, with a genuine reporter’s name attached. The article falsely claims that, under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s orders, Finnish citizens will begin receiving income from taxes. It promotes a tax refund service that supposedly offers thousands of euros for free to every Finnish citizen, alongside instructions for registering and investing €240 in exchange for promised funds.

The so-called “Lion’s Den” scam seeks to gain trust through familiar public figures. In Finland, such media exploitation is relatively rare due to high media literacy. To spot these scams, individuals should pay close attention to spelling and consider whether something seems too good to be true.

Traficom, in collaboration with the police and the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, has launched the “Stay Alert” campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness and online scam recognition.

Iltalehti’s editor-in-chief, Perttu Kauppinen, acknowledges the pervasive issue of fraudulent news but notes limited effectiveness in preventing it. Most scams originate from paid advertisements shared on Facebook, predominantly focusing on investment scams. Despite reporting these ads, scammers quickly create new sites once one is removed.

Experts, including Yle’s legal advisor Joonas Koskivirta and social media specialist Patricia Tiihonen, express frustration over Meta’s inadequate response to scam ads. They emphasize that as long as people continue to fall for these fraudulent claims, the scams will persist. There are ongoing efforts to combat such issues, with the public play a crucial role in alerting authorities to these scams.