A 75-year-old man from Funen was scammed last year for 2.3 million kroner by a fake bank employee and a fake PET agent.
And he is far from alone. Every year, thousands of reports about contact fraud are filed with the police.
But since 2025, the number of reports has decreased. This is shown by new national figures that DR has obtained from the Copenhagen Police.
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Thousands report contact fraud
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In 2024, the police received 10,583 reports of contact fraud. In 2025, that number fell to 7,944 reports.
This year, up until 4 October, there have been 6,193 reports of contact fraud.
Sources: POLSAS, Copenhagen Police.
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New approach
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Police inspector Mads Helios from the Copenhagen Police investigation unit does not have a clear explanation for why the reports are declining. But he points out that since 2025, the police have approached these cases differently than before.
Previously, the individual police districts largely investigated cases on their own. Now, the police have established a collaboration across the country's police districts to stop contact fraud.
- It is an acknowledgment that contact fraud can take place anywhere, explains Police Inspector Mads Helios.
In this way, the police can also better detect if a large fraud network is generating a lot of reports in different police districts at the same time, he explains.
- When we get hold of the network and make arrests, the number of reports drops sharply, says Mads Helios.
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What is contact fraud?
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Contact fraud is defined as cases where an unknown perpetrator establishes unsolicited contact with the victim.
The perpetrator fabricates false pretexts to manipulate, mislead, or exploit the victim's trust with the aim of financially defrauding the victim.
This includes fake bank couriers, telephone scams, dating scams, and investment scams.
Source: Danish police.
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Unreported figures
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Sine Gregersen, who is director of the Center for Economic IT Fraud, which helps victims of contact fraud, says that many victims do not report the fraud.
Therefore, there may be an unreported number, she says. The police also point this out.
Police Inspector Mads Helios says this may be because victims can feel ashamed that they were tricked by fraudsters.
- You just have to say that it can be really, really difficult to see through the fraud, because there are skilled people on the other end committing the crime, and therefore all of us can be deceived, says Mads Helios.
21 OCT 2026 | 30M *Criminal:* Steen, the hackers and PET's gold bars
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Difficulty acting abroad
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Sine Gregersen calls it pleasing that the police can go after the larger networks and be "good and thorough" in Denmark.
But Sine Gregersen points out that the police still have difficulty acting if the perpetrators are abroad.
- This leaves the victims in an extremely vulnerable position. They have been robbed of everything and must also deal with the fact that the crime they have been subjected to never leads to punishment, she says.
Police Inspector Mads Helios acknowledges that the problem extends across national borders and says the police are focused on establishing international connections and close cooperation with the authorities of other countries.
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Scammed for 11 million
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Both the police and the director of the Center for Economic IT Fraud say that contact fraud can have severe and debilitating consequences for the victims.
Sine Gregersen says she knows of a victim who was defrauded of 11 million kroner. Likewise, she knows of victims who have had to sell their house at a forced auction, or where the family has fallen apart.
Mads Helios says the most important thing you can do to avoid contact fraud is never to give out your account number, CPR number, or MitID codes.
- And we need to talk openly with each other about digital fraud and contact fraud – and about how to be critical of those who call on the phone. Better to hang up once too often than once too little, he says.
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Five tips to avoid digital fraud
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*Stop, take your time, and check in with yourself* before you click, pay, or share personal information. It is important to avoid hasty decisions.
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*Be aware of warning signs* if the communication suddenly changes or seems different than normal, and if you feel pressured to act quickly.
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*Confirm the identity of the person you are in contact with.* Use the authorities' official channels, for example the main phone number, and if it is someone you know, call them back on the number they normally use.
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*Get a second opinion.* If you are in doubt, take the time to ask someone you know for advice.
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*Never share personal information* such as your MitID or personal codes – not even with family and friends.
Source: The Crime Prevention Council
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