Vipps MobilePay on Wednesday said it was updating its application to improve security.
The move follows news that stalkers have used the peer-to-peer smartphone-based payment system to harass their victims. Users have not independently been able to block harassers, instead having to contact the company's customer service to block unwanted messages.
"In practice, harassment through MobilePay has been messages or images added to money requests or transfers," said Miranda Falk, communications manager for Vipps MobilePay in Finland.
Perpetrators have also abused the app in domestic violence situations.
"MobilePay has been used for an extended period in cases involving ongoing domestic violence and stalking," Anne Hietala of the Helsinki Police told Yle.
She said the app has also been manipulated to break restraining orders.
"Restraining orders usually forbid contact through any means of communication," she explained, saying that abusers have sent threats, demands and insults through the app.
Financial crime
Last year, MobilePay users in Helsinki filed 600 fraud reports involving the app. Most of these cases were related to scammers selling non-existent items on platforms for used goods, according to Teemu Haapala of the Helsinki Police.
As of next week, the company said a new version of the app will allow users to block one another. In the future, users must use their full and official names, and using a nickname or invented name will no longer be possible, according to the company.
All user data, including card and account information, will transfer from the old application to the new one.
The company said the app has more than 2.5 million users in Finland. MobilePay and Norwegian mobile payment service Vipps merged at the end of 2022.
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