Ms Ellen Bagley was delighted when she made her first sale on a popular second-hand clothing app, but just a few minutes later, the thrill turned to shock as the 20-year-old from Linkoping in Sweden discovered she had been robbed.

Everything seemed normal when Ms Bagley received a direct message on the platform, which asked her to verify personal details to complete the deal. She clicked the link, which fired up BankID – the ubiquitous digital authorisation system used by nearly all Swedish adults.

After receiving a couple error messages, she started thinking something was wrong, but it was already too late. Over 10,000 Swedish kronor (S$1,290) had been siphoned from her account and the thieves disappeared into the digital shadows.

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/ditching-paper-money-has-made-sweden-a-haven-for-online-scams