Thousands in Norway mistakenly told they won big on lottery
State-owned gambling group Norsk Tipping said they had published incorrect prize amounts after a Eurojackpot draw on Friday because of an error converting from euro cents to Norwegian kroner.
The winnings had been multiplied by 100 instead of being divided by 100, the company said.
Among the disappointed was Ole Fredrik Sveen, who was on holiday in Greece when he received a message from Norsk Tipping that he had won 1.2 million kroner (€101,400).
"I thought: 'Wow, is it finally my turn? Could it be true?' I go onto the Norsk Tipping website, and there it says in black and white: 'Congratulations, you have won!'," Mr Sveen told public broadcaster NRK.
In reality, he had won 125 kroner (€10).
He and the 47,000 others received apologies by text message from Norsk Tipping for the snafu.
"The apology was a poor consolation. They should have sent it out after the mistake, not today," he said.
Norsk Tipping has been heavily criticised for the error - not only from devastated players like Mr Sveen but also from the authorities.
The Lottery Authority said it had launched a review to determine if gambling laws had been broken, and Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery called the error "totally unacceptable".
The firm's chief executive Tonje Sagstuen resigned on Saturday after the scandal, leaving acting chief executive Vegar Strand to apologise today.
Mr Strand said his company's state ownership made the mistake particularly problematic, noting that the firm was "entirely dependent on the trust of the population".
"We have deeply disappointed our customers and take full responsibility for rectifying the situation. Such errors are serious for a company that is supposed to manage the trust of Norwegians," he said.
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A DECADE has passed since Cecilie Fjellhoy and Pernilla Sjoholm's lives were turned around by a man they knew as Simon Leviev. Posing as a billionaire diamond heir, he conned them an 8 Simon Leviev used Tinder to seduce and con women out of an estimated £7.4 million Credit: Instagram 8 Pernilla Sjoholm and Cecilie Fjellhoy – victims of tinder swindler Simon Leviev Credit: Pernilla Sjoholm Instagram 8 Tinder Swindler boasts luxury lifestyle with flash vehicles Credit: While the Netflix documentary "I'm still traumatised," Cecilie, 36, tells She reveals that 'no victim' should be placed into a courtroom and be forced to defend themselves. Between 2017 and 2019, he posed as Simon, a 31-year-old and the fictional son of billionaire Lev Leviev, to swindle women all over Europe. READ MORE ON TINDLER SWINDLE After changing his name from Shimon Hayut, Simon Leviev used Tinder to seduce and con women out of an estimated £7.4 million. He falsely claimed to be the son of Leviev was a wanted man in several European countries, having fled Israel in 2011 to avoid fraud charges. In 2019, he was arrested in Greece for using a fake passport and extradited to Israel. Most read in Fabulous He faced charges for fraud, theft, and forgery, but none of these charges were related to his Tinder scheme or his other alleged crimes abroad. After fleeing Israel to avoid fraud charges from his early 20s, Leviev moved to High-flying businesswoman targeted by The Tinder Swindler after he resurfaced on Instagram He had previously served two years in a Finnish prison for defrauding three women and was released in 2017. He briefly returned to Israel but escaped before he could be captured again. When he was finally arrested in 2019, it was for the forgery, theft, and fraud charges he had previously faced. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison but was released after just five months due to good behavior. Cecilie was conned into taking out nine loans totaling $250,000 (£190,000), and was hounded by creditors to the point where she contemplated suicide. Suicide She eventually sought help at a psychiatric unit and has spent the last seven years in therapy. She 'never wanted to be on' antidepressants but explains that she 'needed them.' Due to being hit with a lawsuit by creditors and police barging into her home, Cecilie needed to be on antidepressants. Pernilla, 38, also contemplated suicide after learning the truth about the man she considered a friend. He's really angry with all the successes that we have had Cecilie Fjellhoy She lost the $45,000 (£33,840) she had saved for a home deposit and then doubled that amount in legal fees when she tried to take her bank to court. The fallout from the exposé in a Norwegian newspaper led to death threats from Leviev, leaving her questioning not only "what I would do to myself; I didn't know what Simon might try to do to me." But today, the women are finally reclaiming their power . The enormous reach of the Netflix documentary made Leviev a recognisable figure, effectively ending his con. 8 He falsely claimed to be the son of "King of Diamonds," Lev Leviev Credit: 8 Pernilla Sjőholm, a Tinder Swindler victim Credit: Jam Press/Pernilla Sj�holm "He's really angry with all the successes that we have had," Cecilie says. "I think he really wanted us to be miserable for the rest of our lives." Instead, they've become fierce advocates for victims of romance fraud. They now travel the world giving talks about online safety, and Pernilla has even co-founded an identity verification platform. The goal Their new book, Swindled Never After: How We Survived (and You Can Spot) a Relationship Scammer, is an unflinching look at their journey, complete with online safety tips and expert insights. The goal, they say, is to change the laws and fight the victim-shaming that so often follows these crimes. Pernilla is now a mother to two-year-old twins and has moved on, refusing to let Leviev "continue to defraud me" by consuming her life with anger. Cecilie, who says she still "loves love," has also returned to dating, albeit with a new sense of caution. 8 Leviev had previously served two years in a Finnish prison for defrauding three women and was released in 2017 Credit: 8 Tinder has stated that they have banned Leviev from their app and that he is not on it under any known alias Credit: 8 Leviev has even reinvented himself as a real estate mogul and offers classes in business education Credit: Instagram She's not worried about being financially duped again, as, "There's nothing left. I'm bankrupt. I can't even get a credit card." While his victims continue to pay off the massive debts he left them with, Leviev is living as a free man in Israel, seemingly without any financial issues. He is rumoured to be dating an Israeli model, Kate Konlin, and his private Instagram account, with over 284,000 followers, is filled with photos of a lavish lifestyle, including helicopters and expensive dinners. Leviev has even reinvented himself as a real estate mogul and offers classes in business education. Tinder has stated that they have banned Leviev from their app and that he is not on it under any known alias. How to protect yourself from fraud USE the following tips to protect yourself from fraudsters. Keep your social media accounts private – Think twice before you your share details – in particular your full date of birth, address and contacts details – all of this information can be useful to fraudsters. Deactivate and delete old social media profiles – Keep track of your digital footprint. If a profile was created 10 years ago, there may be personal information currently available for a fraudster to use that you're are not aware of or you have forgotten about. Password protect your devices – Keep passwords complex by picking three random words, such as roverducklemon and add or split them with symbols, numbers and capitals. Install anti-virus software on your laptop and personal devices and keep it up to date – This will make it harder for fraudsters to access your data in the first place. Take care on public Wi-Fi – Fraudsters can hack or mimic them. If you're using one, avoid accessing sensitive apps, such as mobile banking. Think about your offline information too – Always redirect your post when you move home and make sure your letter or mailbox is secure.
