The perpetrators' approach is extremely multifaceted and ranges from demanding fees for alleged participation in competitions, to shock calls, tricking grandchildren, fake police officers and even false promises of prizes.

Lost 8,400 euros by passing on codes from Google Play cards

For months, a couple from Anklam had been promised a large winnings. But the promised winnings of 83,000 euros will never come because fraudsters were at work. Ultimately, the couple lost around 8,400 euros by passing on codes from Google Play cards. Because they didn't have any financial resources to buy more Google Play cards, they asked their son for money. He immediately recognized the fraud and filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday, April 4th, 2023.

4,100 euros in damage due to fraud via WhatsApp

Fraudsters also stole approx. Do you have a moment and can you help me?” The woman thought that the message came from her daughter, who lives in Central America. When she asked what she could do, she was asked to transfer money - the app no ​​longer worked. The injured party did this and transferred several thousand euros. The fraud was discovered on Tuesday when she was on the phone with her daughter.

55,000 euros through dubious fixed-term deposits

This case from Darß/Fischland also shows that fraudsters operate in a multi-faceted manner. Here, in November 2022, a 70-year-old woman received a call from an employee of van Tilburg Consultancy and a lucrative offer about a fixed-term deposit. She transferred 30,000 euros. The interest was supposed to be paid out quarterly, which is why she only became aware of the fraud now that the interest payments had not been made. But that wasn't enough - in January the woman received another lucrative offer. But this time from Pormouve AG. She transferred 25,000 euros, but here too the promised interest payments were not made. She also filed a criminal complaint on April 4, 2023.

How to protect yourself from fraud:

Promises of winnings:

  • Be aware: If you haven't taken part in a lottery, you can't have won anything!
  • Never spend money to claim a supposed prize, pay any fees or dial special toll numbers (special toll numbers, for example, begin with the area code: 0900…, 0180…,
    0137…).
  • Do not make any promises over the phone.
  • Never give out personal information: telephone numbers and addresses, account details, sort codes,
    credit card numbers or similar.
  • Ask the caller for the name, address and telephone number of the person responsible, what type of competition it is and what exactly you won. Write down his answers.
  • Reject unjustified demands for money.
  • Protect yourself by revoking an alleged contract and challenging it due to fraudulent misrepresentation.
    Consumer advice centers offer sample letters for this purpose. These are available in the consumer advice centers and on the Internet (www.verbraucherzentrale.de).
  • Check your bank statements and phone bill at least once a month.
  • Have unauthorized debits reversed by your bank or savings bank.
  • You can easily object to debits within a certain period of time.
    Please contact your bank advisor immediately.
  • Tell your telephone provider as soon as possible which claim is unjustified.
    This may then still have the option of only collecting the authorized part of the invoice amount.
  • If the entire amount has already been debited, you should object to this with your financial institution and then
    only pay the legitimate part of the telephone bill.
  • Unauthorized direct debits can constitute fraud in accordance with Section 263 of the Criminal Code.
    If in doubt, report it to the police.

Messenger scam:

  • If people you know contact you using an unknown number, do not
    automatically save the number.
  • Check your contact: Ask the person you know at the old number whether the message really
    came from them.
  • If you are asked for money transfers via WhatsApp or other messengers, always be suspicious. Asking protects against fraud.
  • Pay attention to the security settings of the messaging service you use.

Loan and investment fraud

  • Take your time. Don't let yourself be put under pressure and pressured into signing a contract.
  • Read the provider's terms and conditions carefully and ask specific questions if anything is unclear.
  • Ask about securing your investment.
    For example, certain products (e.g. bearer bonds) are
    these funds are lost if the issuing company goes bankrupt
  • Get comparative offers from other providers.
  • Use the services of consumer advice centers and specialized lawyers (e.g. capital market law specialists) and have the offers you receive checked.
  • Don't be blinded by promises of high profits. The prospect of a high profit (return) is always offset by a high risk, even a total loss.
  • Product certifications (e.g. TÜV or other “seals”) are primarily advertising materials and offer no guarantee for the seriousness
    of the provider or for risk-free investments.
  • Pay attention to the company headquarters.
    Dubious providers of investment products like to choose their place of business abroad, especially in the well-known tax havens overseas.
  • Pay attention to the corporate form.
    For example, a company managed as a “Limited” (Ltd.) is not subject to any liability due to a lack of share capital.

Source: Neubrandenburg Police Headquarters


Also read:
Senior citizen trap: Fraudsters pretend to be police officers and steal 6,000 euros
Over 20,000 euros handed over to telephone fraudsters Scam
Shock call: Senior woman cheated out of tens of thousands of euros
Love scam: Woman loses over 13,000 euros to a supposed lover


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )