“I have been completely deceived,” says well-known ski technician Ole Bjørn Tretterud (65) from Norway, who last year was scammed by a man in his 50s from Latvia. The man has now been convicted of multi-million fraud, but Ole Bjørn is still without his Autostar motorhome, valued at around $190,000 USD.

It was last summer that a man wanted to rent Tretterud’s motorhome. The Autostar motorhome was worth around two million kroner or around $190,000 USD.
“I have been completely deceived. A man contacted me in June last year, and after he borrowed my motorhome, it was gone,” says the well-known ski technician to VG.

It turned out that Ole Bjørn Tretterud had been contacted by a professional con artist. The man in his 50s has now been sentenced to three years and ten months in prison for extensive fraud. He has also been ordered to pay over eight million kroner in compensation, writes Hallingdølen.
According to the verdict, the criminal systematically rented expensive cars and motorhomes. These vehicles were never returned to their owners but instead sent to Latvia and other Eastern European countries.

Ole Bjørn Tretterud is a familiar face in the ski community, especially in biathlon, where he has been a technician for several national teams. He is also often seen in the Swix waxing cabin.

A traumatic experience

“It has really affected me. I’ve been dwelling on it for almost a year. It’s been very tough mentally,” says Tretterud, who is relieved about the conviction but will not get the motorhome back.

It was found stripped in Lithuania. At the same time, Ole Bjørn Tretterud has had to continue paying taxes and fees on the motorhome throughout the entire period.
According to the verdict, he is entitled to compensation of 1.8 million kroner, but Tretterud tells VG that the convicted man does not have the money. Thus, it is uncertain whether the Norwegian will receive what he is owed.

The insurance company has also been unable to help him.
“I have received three rejections from the insurance. I have lost all the money, as the case stands today. It feels so unfair,” he says.
Fremtind Insurance confirms that the customer has been denied compensation but will not comment further on the case, writes VG.

The fraudster also stole several other luxury cars before he was apprehended in Poland. He was later extradited to Norway. In addition to the vehicle thefts, he has also been convicted of using other people’s identities to take out loans and defrauding Norway’s welfare agency, NAV, for 377,000 kroner.

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