Swedish police are urging people to hang up on suspicious callers and shut the door on strangers as part of a campaign with an unusual message: “Dare to be nasty.”
The national campaign, called Våga vara otrevlig in Swedish, is aimed primarily at people over 60. It encourages them to end conversations with suspected scammers, even if doing so feels impolite.
It is a renewed push from police after criminals made a fortune in 2025 from fraud. Four more well-known Swedes have joined this year’s effort: Suzanne Reuter, Lennart Jähkel, Claes Elfsberg and Christina Schollin.
Reuter said many people in her generation were raised to be polite and accommodating, but need to feel comfortable questioning someone who contacts them unexpectedly. The campaign runs from September 21 to October 11, with ads appearing in newspapers, magazines, on social media and on Swedish television.
Police warn against calling numbers in suspicious texts
According to Swedish police, phone scams remain the most common type of fraud targeting people over 60. They often begin with a text claiming to be from a bank, company or government agency and asking the recipient to call a number for help.
Once someone calls, scammers use a prepared script to create urgency. They may claim money needs to be moved to another account immediately to keep it safe. Police say people should ignore the number in the message and find the organization’s contact details through its official website instead.
The campaign also tells people to hang up if they are unsure who is calling and to turn away strangers who claim they need to collect bank cards or valuables. Police say legitimate organizations will not visit someone’s home to collect gold or other valuables for safekeeping.
Fraudsters made 5.7 billion Swedish kronor from scams in Sweden in 2025, according to police. As TechSpot reported, the campaign targets a simple pressure point: scammers can exploit a person’s reluctance to seem rude.
Similar tactics have appeared elsewhere. Earlier this year, a 79-year-old widow was told to hand over $700,000 in gold before police intervened and caught the alleged courier with a bag of chocolate coins.
In another case, YouTubers helped the FBI shut down a $65M fraud ring targeting seniors.
