The number of online scams reported to the police has nearly doubled over previous years as fraudsters take advantage of the rise in virtual shopping due to the pandemic. The police Cyber Crime Unit received 608 reports in 2020 compared to 387 in 2019 and 384 in 2018. By the end of February this year, 145 reports had already been filed. “An increase was registered throughout the first part of 2020. This is possibly due to the fact that more people relied on online shopping and online payment methods,” a police spokesperson said. “Most reports involved online shopping, unauthorised or fraudulent credit card transactions as well as fraudulent losses after victims responded to malicious communications like emails, SMSes or online chats and subsequently paid money.” In most cases, the losses were of “a few thousand euro”, the spokesperson said. Some people lost larger amounts on fictitious high-value items such as a cars or boat. The spokesperson said fraudsters often rely on the victim’s lack of attention. “One should be wary of messages and sales pitches that create a sense of urgency, for example an offer that ends in a couple of hours,” he said. He also urged online shoppers...