Telephone scams have become more common in Sweden recently. A large number use so-called spoofing, which means that phone numbers are falsified and make it look like the call is coming from someone other than it actually is. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone with personal information that can be used for a fraudulent purpose.
New regulations to prevent phone numbers being used for fraud
The rules mean, among other things, that:
- operators must stop calls from abroad to Sweden that appear to come from Swedish fixed numbers.
- operators must stop calls from abroad that appear to come from Swedish mobile numbers after they have checked that the mobile number is not used abroad.
- the operators must in some cases block the caller identification instead of stopping the call.
The rules relating to fixed numbers come into force on 4 November 2024 and the rules relating to mobile numbers come into force on 3 March 2025. The rules replace the guidelines for providers that we published in autumn 2023.
The guidelines for providers is available in english translation. This is for information only, as the regulations has replaced the guidelines:
Regulations (in Swedish only):
Never give out sensitive information and report suspected crimes to the police
Be aware of numbers you don't recognize and always take the safe side before the unsafe. Hang up if you do not know who is calling you and never give out sensitive information such as passwords, card details or personal information. Contact your bank immediately and report to the police if you suspect that you have been the victim of fraud.