Sweden’s police authority on Monday relaunched a public awareness campaign telling Swedes it is acceptable to be rude, in an effort to cut the number of people falling victim to telephone scams.

The Polisen said cybercriminals operating in the country made 5.7 billion Swedish crowns ($579.9 million) in 2025, with their schemes working especially well against people over 60.

“The message is simple: Dare to be rude – it could save you from being scammed,” the Polisen said this week, announcing four new celebrity faces for the campaign.

Actors Suzanne Reuter, Lennart Jähkel and Christina Schollin appear alongside journalist Claes Elfsberg. The campaign will run across print media, social media and television through October 11.

“I am part of the police campaign because it is a terrible crime that affects so many people,” Reuter said. “If I can use my voice to help someone not to be scammed, then I want to do it.”

“Many of us are raised to always be polite and accommodating, and there are many in my generation. But today you have to dare to be a little more questioning. It’s not rude – it’s self-protection.”

Reuter said fraudsters build trust while creating stress and urgency, said Robert Öhman, the Polisen’s national operations leader, according to the police. Öhman said he wants the public to feel comfortable hanging up the phone whenever something seems wrong.

Telephone scams are the most common form of fraud, the Polisen said. Scammers send text messages pretending to be a trusted authority such as the government or a bank; victims who call the number in the message are connected to criminals reading from a prepared script.

Sweden, like the Netherlands, is also affected by fake police officer scams, in which criminals dressed as officers offer to collect and store valuables, then steal them. Police and campaigners are urging the public to shut the door “at the slightest hesitation.”

“The police and other reputable organizations or companies never go to someone’s home to collect gold, credit cards or other valuables,” the Polisen said.

Öhman said the concern extends beyond victims’ losses. “The money that the fraudsters get can also help finance other serious crimes,” he said. “In the ongoing operation, we can confirm close cooperation between the organized fraudsters and the pure violent networks. Therefore, we must both reduce the risk of people being deceived and strike at the criminal actors behind the crimes.”

Police and the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) began working more closely on telephone fraud in June, the same month parliament approved amendments to the Electronic Communications Act requiring providers of number-based services to block suspected fraud communications before they reach recipients.

The changes took effect on August 1 and follow earlier legislation putting the PTS in charge of blocking spam calls, especially those from abroad that spoof genuine Swedish numbers.

The campaign runs until October 11.