Figures from Statistics Norway show that Norwegians shop online like never before.
– The use of cards online has skyrocketed, while the local use of the international payment cards went down. This clearly has to do with the corona measures, says Anne Frøberg in Statistics Norway (SSB) to Børsen.
Byks
Last year, e-commerce accounted for the majority of all transactions. Frøberg refers to some of Statistics Norway’s findings:
- In the second quarter of 2020, 59 per cent of the transactions and 54 per cent of the amount went from Norwegians’ international payment cards to online shopping.
- In the same period in 2019, the figures were 43 and 41 percent, respectively.
- In the third quarter of 2020, local shopping (physically pulling the card) was again larger, without this putting any damper on online shopping. At that time, 56 per cent of payments and 51 per cent of turnover went to websites.
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– We see a pattern, in step with how society has opened and closed, says Frøberg.
Wanted to avoid trouble: – Took off completely
Turns alarm
At the same time, a survey conducted by NorSiS showed that more than 5 percent of the population, approximately 300,000, in the course of a year have been exposed to fraud that has given them financial consequences.
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PayPal’s head in the Nordics, Jonas Breding, thinks the figures are startling.
– Before the pandemic, we assumed that e-commerce would resume physical trade only in three to five years. But it has already happened now, says Breding to Børsen.
– An adventurous growth
PayPal has 1.1 million active customers in Norway, and almost twice as many registered users.
Breding believes there is reason to sound the alarm, when so many more are now shopping online.
– We see that where the money is, there are also the criminals. At the moment, there are several hundred attempted scams all over Norway, says Breding and adds that The internet has opened up completely different possibilities than before.
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– People sit organized and try to cheat on a large scale. Maybe from a completely different place, in a different time zone.
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– More seniors online
Breding says that the number of older people who shop online has risen sharply: Those aged 60 and up shop as much online as the younger ones, he says.
– The situation was completely different just three years ago, says Breding, and adds:
– It is often the elderly who are exposed to “phishing”, which is “phishing” for sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
Explosion in e-commerce: – Special situation
He says older people to a greater extent tend to trust authorities and authorities.
– A well-executed “phishing email” catches the interest of many seniors. And many fall into the trap of pressing them. Many people are tricked into providing card information. It is important to remember that neither the authorities nor a reputable company would ask for sensitive information online.
– Just gets worse and worse
Young men
Breding points out another group, which he believes is extra vulnerable to being cheated online.
– We also see that younger people, especially men, are exposed to online fraud. This is probably related to the fact that young men are more willing to take risks. Many young people constantly think “risk-reward”, or risk and gain. It can be bitcoin fraud, gift fraud or the possibility of easy money.
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The previously mentioned NorSiS survey also shows that young people are vulnerable. As many as 15 per cent in the age group 15 to 34 have gone on a scam, with financial consequences, in the course of a year.
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– In many cases, you are only asked to send a small sum, such as 50 kroner. That is why many young people think: “There is little risk and high potential gain. I take the chance “, says Breding.
– Has exploded
But according to Breding, the risk is enormous as soon as the card information has been handed over to a recipient with dubious intentions.
– Very few today check, for example, Facebook collections from friends. It is very common to think: “It’s only 100 or 500 kroner”. But it can quickly become much more, if there are scammers behind the collection and they get the card information.
Hacked: Steal personal information
– We see an incredible number of different types of fraud, it has only exploded recently. It is important to keep in mind two things: If this sounds too good to be true, it is. Also have a critical eye, double and triple check.
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Feeling stupid
Trude Talberg-Furulund in NorSiS, who was responsible for the survey, says that there are probably large hidden numbers when it comes to online fraud.
– It is quite impossible to know how many are actually affected, there are probably large dark numbers, because you feel stupid when you are tricked and then it is often not tempting to tell someone about it.
Closed companies received corona support
– We hope that the move to require BankID for online purchases will overcome some fraud. It makes trading safer. It’s new this year for online retailers from Europe.
At the same time, Talberg-Furulund warns that this does not apply to trade on sites outside the EU / EEA.
– In addition, we always recommend investigating whether the online store you shop from is a serious player, no matter where it operates from. You can do this in various ways, for example on a search engine, via customer reviews or the like.
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