Convicted to community service for bunad fraud
A woman in her forties was to make bunads and hold sewing courses. The customers did not get a bunad, course or their money back. The District Court is of the opinion that the course fee was meant to finance the woman’s substance abuse.
On November 10th, 2016, the woman from Rogaland published an advertisement on Finn.no offering to sew and assemble two traditional outfits for men.
She had fabrics for male bunads at home and had previously started on several outfits without finishing them.
Later on in November five persons from the Stavanger region entered into agreements with the woman.
Everyone wished that she would sew or customize bunads for them, either before confirmations or May 17th the following year.
The persons paid between NOK 3,000 kroner and 27,000 to the woman in advance, totaling in excess of NOK 40,000.
What the customers did not know was that the woman was due to serve a sentence one month later.
Impounds bunad cloth
In the time to come, her customers attempted to contact the woman, which they did not achieve as she served a sentence for social security fraud and driving under the influence. The customers did not get the money back either, and several of them reported the woman to the police.
– The offended were exemplary at submitting documentation regarding transfers, contacts and agreements entered into with the woman, says Police Lawyer, Emilie Lyngstad Netteland, to VG.
On January 23rd, 2018, the Head of Police in the South-West Police District indicted the woman for cheating the bunad customers, as well as for cheating a number of people by obtaining payment in advance for sewing courses which she never intended to hold, according to the prosecutor.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today