Ordførersvindel: Slik lures du til å kjøpe gavekort

“Let me know when you are available. There is something I need you to grab care of,” reads the email.

The email begins with the recipient’s name and appears to be sent from the municipality’s mayor.

But the emails were not sent by the mayor.

– It’s unsettling to be subjected to such attempted scams, says Yvonne Wold.

She is the mayor of Rauma and one of several individuals whose identities have been used in the attempt to deceive others.

– Mayors often have a high degree of trust in their communities, so perhaps that’s why mayors are being targeted.

– But it’s difficult to speculate when you don’t know who is behind it.

Request for Gift Card Purchases

Recently, employees in Trondheim, Rauma, Ålesund, Steinkjer, and Stjørdal have received the same email. The scam exploits the trust placed in local officials to trick recipients.

In Trondheim, the email appeared to be sent from Mayor Kent Ranum to several politicians in the municipality.

– It’s an email asking you to take care of something. He states he’s in a meeting where phone use is limited and asks that you respond via email, says Gjermund Bungum Gorset (Ap).

Bungum Gorset is the leader of the control committee in Trondheim municipality. He continued:

– If you respond, “Kent Ranum” asks you to purchase gift cards.

Adresseavisen and Trønder-Avisa have also reported on the situation.

Bungum Gorset said it appears everyone on the Trondheim city council received the fraudulent email.

He explained that they quickly issued information about the scam.

– Ranum is on leave, so the person behind this may not have been closely following Trondheim politics.

– But whoever is responsible may have realized that exploiting Kent Ranum’s good name and reputation could be a good idea, said Bungum Gorset.

Kent Ranum has not responded to NRK’s inquiries on Wednesday.

Several Municipalities Affected

The same email has also been sent from “the mayor” in a number of other municipalities.

In Steinkjer, Mayor Gunnar Thoresen says he is aware that some people have fallen for the scam and purchased gift cards.

– That’s unfortunately the case, yes.

On Tuesday, the mayor contacted his municipality’s IT department, which will investigate the matter. On Wednesday, he plans to speak with the police.

– It’s unpleasant that someone is pretending to be me. It’s not something to laugh about. And it’s unpleasant that people are losing money because of it.

Further south in Trøndelag, the mayor of Stjørdal, Eli Arnstad, has also experienced the same issue.

“Stay away!”, Arnstad warned on Facebook on Tuesday.

Common Scam Tactic

Technology journalist Martin Gundersen at NRKbeta says This represents a relatively well-known pattern.

– This is a very common scam, one of the most common forms, says Gundersen.

He explains that scammers have done their research and that it requires little effort for them to adapt. The request to purchase gift cards is also a recurring element.

– It’s a scam that reaches many people, but it’s limited in its success.

Published March 18, 2026, at 2:17 PM