Telenor Norway has deployed Hiya’s intelligent call security to protect their subscribers from fraud and nuisance calls.
Hiya’s security service is integrated with Telenor’s Se Hvem app on iOS and Android, and detects and flags fraud and nuisance calls for Telenor Norway users. As a recent wave of 200,000 fraud calls from North Korea hit Norway on January 13, Telenor Norway users protected by Hiya’s fraud labeling did not fall victim to the widespread scam attack.
The launch of the new service comes as fraud calls continue to rise in Norway, with a 39% rise in fraud calls in 2020. According to a recent survey by Telenor, more than 1 in 3 Norwegians reported experiencing fraud calls and 17% reported an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The growth in fraud calls was highlighted on January 13 when more than 200,000 fraud calls targeting Norwegians were detected from suspicious North Korean phone numbers. The campaign used the Wangiri method, one of the world’s most widespread phone scams where fraudsters call the victim and hang up after one ring to trick the victim into calling back a premium rate number, which is how the fraudsters profit. According to Telenor, more than 2,000 Norwegians have called back, but no users protected by Hiya’s fraud labeling returned the call.
Ric Brown, Telenor Norway’s Mobile Director said,"Now that we are introducing a more intelligent solution to the market, it will hopefully be a little easier to manoeuvre in what is an increasingly opaque landscape. Nevertheless, I would still encourage everyone to exercise particular caution and familiarise themselves with which types of scams are common."
Kush Parikh, Hiya COO said,"We’re pleased to partner with Telenor Norway and provide our global insights and intelligence to ensure their customers stay protected from these global fraud threats."