The Helsinki metropolitan region already accounts for half of all pickpocket cases in Finland. Last year thieves stole money and mobile phones from over 8,000 victims – some 300 cases more than in the previous year. So far nearly 1,000 cases have already been reported this year.
In the worst cases, thieves have emptied their victims’ bank accounts by spying as they use their account access codes, then stealing their bank cards.
Pickpocket paradise: PIN codes and bank cards
“Spying for access codes has increased every year. Last year nearly 1,000 people fell victim to this scam and it is increasingly connected to the growth in pickpocket cases,” explained Detective Chief Inspector Juha Laaksonen of the Helsinki police.
Usually the thief or a group of accomplices follows the victim and sets up some kind of disturbance or scene to distract the target. During this time another thief steals the mark’s wallet or purse.
“The perpetrators are professionals. They usually come from abroad in small groups and execute many thefts during a short stay in the country,” Laaksonen added.
The advent of chip cards and more modern cash dispensers has forced the thieves to diversify into PIN code spying and card theft, since traditional copying scams no longer pay off.
From seasonal to year round theft
Apart from bustling Helsinki, itinerant pickpockets are also targeting other large cities in Finland. And while the street hazard was previously limited to the holiday period, thieves have now become active year-round.
“There are no longer any peaks during the year, but a constant pace of about 100 to 200 cases each week,” Laaksonen said.
The new PIN code stealing scam has sweetened the pot for street criminals.
“In the most modest cases criminals have got a few hundred euros or a mobile phone. In the worst cases, victims have lost up to 20,000 euros in the PIN code and card-stealing capers,” the crime stopper said.
Police say that for the most part, Estonian, Polish or Romanian gangs were behind the crimes which last year robbed people in Helsinki of about two million euros in cash and other light possessions.
Money sometimes recovered
It is rare for victims to recover their lost property from thieves. However banks may consider refunding customers on a case by case basis, after assessing the victim’s negligence or carelessness. However the victims don't get a full refund -- in the event that a bank decides to pay up, it will first withhold the victims’ deductible.
