Ingvar Olsson, 83, was cheated by fraudsters but is denied compensation for injury.
The reason? Concerns only came afterwards when the fraud was discovered.
Now Ingvar’s lawyer is demanding that the law be changed so that no more elderly people get caught.
– The legislation has not kept up, says lawyer Sunita Memetovic.
A year ago, 83-year-old Ingvar Olsson was called by fraudsters who said they were calling from the police.
– They called and said that they would take care of my bank card so that there was no theft on it. Then they came here and got the bank card from me, Ingvar Olsson tells TV4 Nyheterna.
The fraudsters made several ATM withdrawals and clothing purchases, and Ingvar lost more than SEK 40,000. Eight other elderly people were also duped in a similar way.
No compensation for infringement despite a conviction
But despite the fact that three people have been convicted of the crimes, none of the elderly victims have received compensation for the violation they believe they have been subjected to.
For Ingvar, the fraud has left its mark.
– You are more suspicious. Yes, it’s clear that you don’t feel well, but you have to deal with it and then you’re ashamed that you went through that, says Ingvar Olsson.
Requires legislative change
Lawyer Sunita Memetovic, who represented Ingvar and the other elderly people in the case, demanded compensation for damages of SEK 20,000 each. But the Court of Appeal refused on the grounds that the elderly did not experience fear or anxiety at the time of the act itself, but only afterwards. Memetovic believes that the Damages Act should be changed so that more elderly people who are exposed receive compensation.
– As the Damages Act looks like, it is not clear that it covers this area, nor can you read about this in the preparatory work. I mean our legislation hasn’t really kept up. We could not foresee that this type of crime would become more and more common and that it would occur at all, says Sunita Memetovic.
No trial permit
She tried to get the Supreme Court to hear the case but was not granted leave to appeal.
– It is serious and we see the need for this to be tested based on how society develops, says Sunita Memetovic, lawyer and plaintiff’s assistant.
– It is clear that we have been offended. You are old and have experienced a different life when you could trust people more. But you should get some compensation, says Ingvar Olsson.