BEUC NEWS 26.04.2017

A recent survey of the Danish Consumer Council, Forbrugerrådet Tænk, shows that more than 1 in 7 Danish citizens has been scammed online. This is why the consumer group has developed a new app, which boosts consumers’ digital safety through daily warnings, advice and guidelines.

Digital fraud is a soaring trend: Danish police reports show an increase in cases from 647 in 2011 to 22,339 in 2016. To counter this trend, the Consumer Council has created a new app, called Mit digitale selvforsvar (‘My digital self-defense’).

The app gives guidance to consumers on how to protect their personal data, see through fraud attempts and what to do once the damage is done. Several companies, authorities and institutions have joined the initiative and add content to the app. This includes warnings about false web pages, scam competitions and dangerous links in texts and e-mails.

“IT-criminals have become more professional in their way to scam. It is our hope that this new app can help the Danish consumers to navigate more safely online and to make safe choices in the digital sphere’”, comments Anja Philip, chairwoman of the Danish Consumer Council.

• More information on the app (in Danish) can be found here.
• More information on BEUC’s work on data privacy in EU policy can be found here.