Sweden tells citizens to be ruder to phone scammers as criminals take advantage of good manners
Phone scammers expect their targets to be polite, so Swedish authorities have suggested a different strategy when dealing with unsolicited calls: profanities.
Swedish authorities are urging their citizens to be more confrontational when dealing with phone scammers, as criminals exploit the good manners of the population. The majority of victims are over 60 years old, and Swedish police estimate that fraudsters steal around 5.7 billion SEK annually, equivalent to £431 million or $575.3 million.
To help address this issue, celebrities have been enlisted to promote a campaign encouraging the over 60 demographic to use profanity when confronted by vishing scams and other phone-based fraud attempts. Celebrities such as Christina Schollin, Claes Elfsberg, Suzanne Reuter, and Lennart Jähkel are participating in the initiative, which aims to empower elderly Swedes to confidently tell scammers to "go away" with appropriate expletives.
By targeting this age group, scammers try to exploit trust in institutions, often posing as government agencies or banks. The campaign encourages not only the use of profanity but also other defensive measures, such as hanging up the phone or telling fake cop scammers to leave. Swedish comedian and actress Suzanne Reuter explains that the campaign is crucial as it addresses a crime that affects many people and helps break the habit of excessive politeness.
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