We repeatedly warn about fraudsters who pose as grandchildren or police officers to older citizens.

Fortunately, many people now know about the “grandchild trick” scam, but the scammers are unfortunately successful in one out of ten calls, as shown by a current incident described by the Mettmann police .

On Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, there was another wave of calls from con artists who tried to steal cash and valuables from senior citizens using the well-known “fake police officers” or “grandchild trick”.

More than ten such attempted fraud cases were registered with the police emergency number. One of these calls led to sad success:

A 91-year-old woman from Velbert fell victim to the “grandchild trick” scam. The elderly woman's financial hardship was so convincingly portrayed that the helpful lady withdrew over ten thousand euros from her bank account and handed it over to an unknown man.

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A fake niece calls

At around 12 p.m., the woman from Velbert received a call in which a young woman identified herself as her supposed niece. The niece credibly and eloquently described to the 91-year-old that she was in acute financial distress and asked for support. The senior citizen went to her bank and withdrew over ten thousand euros from her account. Back at her home address, the senior citizen handed the cash over to a man she did not know and who cannot be described in more detail.

Only a subsequent phone call to the niece's mother cleared up the perfidious fraud. The elderly woman reported the matter to the police. The investigation is currently ongoing.

The fraudsters apply pressure

The Mettmann district police authority is once again using the specific case as an opportunity to urgently warn against the trickster scam. On the one hand, the callers pretend to be relatives who are in financial distress or, as so-called “fake police officers”, put seniors under pressure during the conversation in order to get cash and valuables.

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The police appeal

The police therefore once again make an urgent appeal: The police would never ask you to hand over your money or valuables. Be suspicious and contact your relatives personally and independently using the phone numbers you know. Don't allow yourself to be put under pressure and if you suspect something, just hang up because: "Hanging up is not impolite!" Always inform the “real” police immediately if you suspect that a con artist is targeting you – dial the emergency number “110” yourself.

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