Technology Miraj Islam September 29, 2026 0 Comments

Sweden asks citizens to be ruder to phone scammers as criminals take advantage of good manners

Swedish celebrities lead campaign to be rude to phone scammers
Most phone scam victims in Sweden are over 60 years old
Swedish police claim fraudsters collect around SEK 5.7bn a year – more than £431m

Swedish celebrities have been hired to help the national government promote the use of profanity when dealing with phone scammers.

Swedes, famous for their good manners, are encouraged to use rude responses when bothered by vishing scams and other attempts to steal money over the phone.

Swedish authorities say 5.7 billion Swedish crowns (£431 million or $575.3 million) are stolen each year by fraudsters, many of whom operate by telephone. The campaign is aimed at people over 60 years of age, as they are the main target of scammers.

Aimed at people over 60 years old

Christina Schollin, Claes Elfsberg, Suzanne Reuter and Lennart Jähkel are taking part in the campaign, which aims to give older Swedes the confidence to tell phone scammers to “go away” with any swear word they can think of.

By targeting the over-60 demographic, criminals who perpetuate the crimes aim to take advantage of feelings of trust in institutions, often posing as government agencies or banks, and often initiate contact via text messages.

When the target calls the number listed in the message, scammers use proven scripts to persuade the victim of the importance of their call, applying subtle stress and panic to push them to part with their money.

But the campaign goes beyond turning Sweden into a land of sewer insults: those over 60 are being educated not only to say bad words in time, but also to recognize when they are being scammed. With the new campaign, swearing is just one option. Having the confidence to simply hang up or tell a scammer fake cop to leave are good alternatives.

Don’t be fooled

The idea of being rude to a stranger on the phone is not something that comes naturally to Swedish people, which is why the campaign was launched with well-known celebrities. Actress Christina Schollin, journalist Claes Elfsberg and actor Lennart Jähkel are three of the famous faces and they all have one thing in common: Like the key demographic of scam victims, they are over 60 years old.

Swedish comedian and actress Suzanne Reuter is the first to appear and says: “I am in the police campaign because it is a terrible crime that affects so many people. If I can use my voice to help someone not to be fooled, then I want to do it. Many of us were raised to always be polite and accommodating, and there are many from my generation. But today you have to dare to be a little more inquisitive.”

And he adds: “It’s not unpleasant, it’s self-protection.”