Danish police issue warning over iPhone SMS scam

Denmark’s National Police has issued a statement warning the public against a scam in which targets are offered the chance to buy an iPhone 13 far under the market price.

Published: 7 September 2022 16:34 CEST

File photo of an iPhone 13. Apple is announcing a big investment in its Munich site to be less reliant on Asian production. Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

The scam, propagated on Facebook and by SMS, invites the recipient to click on a link, claiming it will lead them to a website where they can purchase the new iPhone for under 3,000 kroner.

Police said they had been alerted to the scam by members of the public.

Obs! Lige nu modtager vi anmeldelser om fup-sms’er og reklamer på Facebook, hvor der lokkes med, at man kan købe en ny Iphone 13 Pro meget billigt. Trykker man på linket, bliver man ledt videre til en fuphjemmeside, som forsøger at franarre folk penge og oplysninger #politidk pic.twitter.com/0A7Tpa5RIv

— Rigspolitiet (@Rigspoliti) September 7, 2022

The iPhone 13 pro currently retails in Denmark for around 8,000 kroner.

The false text message claims it can be acquired for “2,999 kroner – was 9,389 kroner” by clicking on a link. It also says that “only 100” of the iPhones are available.

“We are currently receiving reports of fake SMS’s and adverts on Facebook, using the bait that you can buy a new Iphone 13 pro very cheaply,” police said in a Twitter post.

“If you click on the link, you will be sent to a scam website which tries to trick people into handing over their money and information”, police state.

Earlier this year, Denmark criminalised social media impersonation of others by making it against the law to create a social media profile which looks like it belongs to another person.

Cases of telephone scams targeting elderly people meanwhile occur relatively frequently in Denmark.

One such scam was in June reported to have cost five elderly people almost a million kroner between them.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

The 39-year-old Polish man is suspected of punching Frederiksen on June 7th as she walked in central Copenhagen, leaving her with a minor whiplash injury.

“The court has decided that the suspect will remain in custody until July 4th,” a court official told AFP, following a hearing that lasted less than an hour.

The man, who was arrested immediately after the incident, has denied responsibility and says he has no recollection of what happened.

Frederiksen, 46, underwent a medical examination afterwards and was diagnosed with a “contusion on her right shoulder and a minor whiplash injury”, according to her office.

A medical certificate was presented to the court on Thursday.

Frederiksen and several witnesses have been questioned in the ongoing investigation, police said.

In police questioning, relayed to the court on Thursday, Frederiksen said the man approached her and uttered something incomprehensible, then hit her on the shoulder with a closed fist, Danish news agency Ritzau reported on Thursday.

According to prosecutor Line Steffensen, the man was drunk and had stolen alcohol from a grocery store just prior to his encounter with the prime minister.

Steffensen said the man had been arrested on several occasions for shoplifting since moving to Denmark five years ago.

Frederiksen became Denmark’s youngest ever prime minister when she was elected in 2019, aged 41. She won re-election in 2022.

She said after the attack that she was “shaken” and did not take part in the final day of campaigning for the EU election.