7 out of 10 companies exposed to directory scams
During the past year, seven out of ten companies have been exposed to directory scams, according to the results of survey by the organisation Virke.
“The survey shows us that scam crimes are far more organized and menacing than thought of before, both in international cooperation and between criminal groups in Norway”, says security coordinator Thor Martin Bjerke. The organisation has sent a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions with the request to establish a separate Norwegian fraud group, like in Sweden, to deal with the problem.
The letter was sent during the week that Trondheim police took action against the firm Nummeropplysninga AS. Two of the leaders of the firm were taken into custody for four weeks. Police have charged seven more people for “a great and extensive fraud concerning online directory services.”
Coordinated investigation
“There is a need for national coordinated investigations to take down these criminal groups”, says Jarle Hammerstad, head of business policy at Virke.
The results of the survey show that 10 percent of organisations that were contacted actually paid the invoice, either because they were misled or because they were afraid of getting a default.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
