Norwegians hit by a wave of fraud: 200.000 calls from North Korea

On Wednesday last week, Norwegians were hit by a wave of fraud calls. Throughout the night, more than 200,000 fraudulent calls from North Korean phone numbers were made. In partnership with Hiya, Telenor Norway is now launching a new solution that will offer customers increased protection from fraud and nuisance calls.

Last Wednesday, Norwegians were hit by 200.000 fraudulent calls. lenor Norway is now launching a new solution that will offer customers increased protection from fraud and nuisance calls.

(Fornebu, 19 January 2021) On Wednesday last week, Norwegians were hit by a wave of fraud calls. During the evening and night, more than 200,000 fraudulent calls were made. The scammers exploited North Korean phone numbers. Norway is among the countries in Europe that are most exposed to fraudulent calls, according to new findings. In partnership with Hiya, Telenor Norway is now launching a new solution that will offer customers increased protection from fraud and nuisance calls.

This type of fraudulent call is often called "wangiri". The Japanese term means "one ring and cut". The scammers hang up early and want to trigger your curiosity. When you call back, the taximeter starts running.

‘Fraud waves such as this comes in cycles, but what happened on Wednesday was unique. When so many calls are made simultaneously, it indicates a targeted attack on Norwegians. It is a serious matter and will be reported to the police’, says Thorbjørn Busch, senior security adviser at Telenor Norway and adds:

‘Our figures show that more than 8,000 Norwegians have called back. Normally, about 7-8 percent return the call. In this case, the number is lower, so it is evident that Norwegians have become more aware of fraudulent calls. However, many Norwegians are too polite and a bit naive when answering unknown calls’.

A growing issue

‘Scam calls are a problem that’s on the rise. In December, our security centre blocked more than 1.3 million fraudulent calls. Despite the fact that we are stopping an enormous volume, there are still many people being subjected to fraud. We want to do something about that,’ says Ric Brown, Telenor Norway’s Mobile Director.

Telenor has formed a partnership with Kush Parik, COO of Hiya. Photo: Hiya

More attempted scams during the pandemic

According to a survey conducted by Kantar on behalf of Telenor, more than 1 in 3 Norwegians say they have experienced phone fraud. 17 per cent also say that they have experienced more attempted fraudulent calls during the Covid-19 pandemic than before.

‘When more than a third of people report that they are experiencing scam calls, it’s a serious issue. The scammers are constantly becoming more sophisticated and exploit advanced methods to disguise their intentions. This is why we have developed the Telenor service “Se Hvem” to make it a more intelligent service. It now uses machine learning to discover and block fraudulent calls,’ says Brown.

Hiya’s technology is integrated into Se Hvem. This service provides you with full overview and control over who is attempting to contact you. From now on, it analyses incoming calls and provides a notification if it is believed to be a fraud or nuisance call. On Android, an automatic notification appears while it is ringing, while iOS users can check the number in the app. The service also ensures that all key numbers on your contact list are securely stored in the cloud.

Ric Brown, Telenor Norway's Mobile Director, states that Se Hvem will offer customers increased protection against fraudulent calls. Photo: Martin Fjellanger.