Dead Man Unnoticed For Nine Years Due To Automatic Payments

[imagesource: Getty]

The internet can be incredibly divisive, with very little in between.

People go left or they go right, they go extreme or they go impartial, they connect on deep levels or they go deathly quiet.

This was the case with the death of an elderly man in Oslo, Norway (pictured above), who lay in his flat for around nine years before being found last December.

This ‘special case’ is making everyone think about the role technology plays in keeping people connected.

State broadcaster NRK reported that the man, who was in his 60s, did have people in his life, having been married a few times with kids, but no one reported him missing.

He was found by a caretaker who needed to do maintenance.

According to the autopsy, he died of natural causes. It seems likely that he passed in 2011 based on an old milk carton and letters that were found in his apartment, police said.

The police are dumbfounded at how he lasted so long without detection.

The cold might have helped.

Here’s the BBC:

Oslo police inspector Grete Lien Metlid told NRK: “We have thought a lot about it, my colleagues and people who have worked with this for many years.
“This is a special case, and it makes us ask questions about how it could happen.”

Neighbours say he was a bit reclusive, not wanting to talk to people much.

“Based on the picture we have, it is obviously a person who has chosen to have little contact with others,” Ms Lien Metlid told NRK.

The inflow of his pension money stopped in 2018 when the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) couldn’t contact him anymore.

The money was obviously pooling nicely and because of all the automated payments set up, no authorities needed to chase him for outstanding bills.

“All his expenses were paid automatically from his bank account, everything was automatic,” said Prof Arne Krokan at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
“That’s something that would not have happened in the past. So if something strange happens, it’s possible nobody will notice.”

Sheesh.

Make sure you reach out to your loved ones, folks, especially the elderly and those who live alone.

[source:bbc]

Latest News

Mystery Of Welsh ‘Man On The Mountain’ Has South African Connection
[imagesource:here] In 1979, on a mountainside near Resolven, in the south of Wales, the...
#MakeMyMay – How To Win Your Share Of R80 000 Worth Of Prizes
[imagesource:here] For those of us who would rather avoid using the credit card, as...
SA’s Third Wave – Actuary Maps Out Three Possible Scenarios
[imagesource:here] Day 412 of living under some form of lockdown, and the threat of a t...
Boats, Planes, Treehouses – World’s Wealthiest Are Splashing That Lockdown Cash
[imagesource:here] The COVID-19 pandemic has left many jobless, homeless, and hopeless....
South Korean Couples Are Getting Very Savvy When It Comes To Giving Gifts
[imagesource: rotsukhon lam / Shutterstock] Korean dramas are known for their cliched r...