Finnish motorists billed for Norwegian road tolls
Debt collection company asks Finns for credit card details via fax or Internet
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Many Finns who have driven in Norway have received letters from a debt collection company demanding payment of unpaid highway tolls.
The bills were sent by the British company Euro Parking Collection (EPC), which asked the recipients to send their credit card information either via fax, mail, or the Internet.
Most of those receiving payment demands had been on holiday in Norway either last summer or even earlier.
A haulage company in the west of Finland has already received 11 payment demands, all concerning different days and different places. Some of the letters are for events dating back a year and a half.
"The driver of the car in question says that he has not been in the areas where the photograph of the licence plate was taken", says the owner of the haulage company.
He finds it strange that regardless of the time or place, all of the photographs in the letters are identical.
The road toll fee for a lorry in Norway is about five euros. After a collection letter, the bill rises to EUR 42-46.
"There is a total of EUR 550 in road toll bills", says the company’s owner. The sum increases, if the bill is not paid immediately.
A few motorists who have received road toll bills from EPC have contacted the police. The police have urged the drivers to pay the bills, but also advise caution in submitting credit card information.
EPC says that there is always a small delay in billing. Norwegian law allows a maximum delay of five years in the payment of highway tolls. EPC attributes the similarity of the photographs to the fact that the cameras at all Norwegian toll booths are placed in the same position, making the photographs look identical.
EPC says that Finnish regulations require payment by credit card. The company insists that credit card payment is completely safe.
One of the road toll companies using the services of EPC is Östfold Bompengeselskap, whose director Geir Karlheim was unaware of EPC’s practice of demanding credit card information.
The toll booth, located about one hour’s drive from Oslo, is passed by about 12 million vehicles a year, of which 25,000 fail to pay their highway tolls. About 3,000 of these are foreign.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 1.8.2006 - TODAY |
 Finnish motorists billed for Norwegian road tolls
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