Norwegians are falling victim to a scam in which they’re induced to purchase gold and then leave it in forests or public parks.
The scam, according to Finans Norge, involves the scammers persuading their victims to purchase gold that they promise to keep safe on their behalf.
According to an ABC Nyheter interview, a meeting will then be planned between the victim and the scammer. The scammer will then claim they’re unable to make the meeting, and the victim will be encouraged to leave it somewhere in public.
Read more: Is the US government allowed to sell gold to buy bitcoin?
Some victims appear to have been lured using so-called “pig-butchering” techniques, including fake romantic interest and a relatively long time spent building trust before the request is made.
Unfortunately for the victims, the relative anonymity of gold makes tracking and recovering the proceeds of these crimes difficult.
Schemes like this aren’t seen only in Norway. Indeed, the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report detailed approximately 725 complaints and $311.8 million in losses from “gold courier scams.”
The scams are described in a very similar manner, with the key difference being that the victims generally meet with the courier. This is perhaps because Americans are (compared to Norway) trapped in a low-trust society and aren’t willing to leave their gold in the woods.
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