Enough fraud: con artists continue to cause mischief

In July of this year, a wave of calls with around 800 call center fraud cases, 45 of which were completed, was registered in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The State Criminal Police Office and the consumer advice center provide tips against fraudsters.

Predominantly older people are chosen as victims and are constantly put under pressure with new tricks and made-up stories in order to steal cash, jewelry and other valuables. Financial worries and fears about the health of relatives are shamelessly exploited.

Fake police officers or officials

The first contact is made over the telephone. The fraudsters pose as officials, often police officers. The criminals often use a special technology that shows the emergency number 110 or the local police station on the phone display of the person being called. Using a pretext such as that the police have information about a planned break-in, the fraudsters always manage to credibly convey that money and valuables are not safe in the house. Therefore, everything had to be brought to safety and handed over to a plainclothes police officer who came by.

Grandchildren trick

In the grandchild trick, the perpetrators pose as a relative. A sophisticated story is told with rhetorical skill in order to gain trust. This involves simulating a financial emergency, such as an emergency operation or the purchase of a property. The situation is always presented as extremely urgent. The alleged grandson states that someone else is coming to collect the money because he is unable to attend.

In addition to the scams described here, there are numerous other variations in how fraudsters try to get money. A scam has currently been identified that is increasingly circulating via the WhatsApp messenger service.

WhatsApp scam

The perpetrators pose as relatives or acquaintances and claim that the number shown is the new contact number. You will then be asked to transfer funds because you are in an emergency situation or are currently unable to make transfers yourself.

The scammers' text messages read something like this:

“Hello mom, my phone broke.
Here is my new number. You can delete the old number." "I still have to transfer bills today, but I can't get my data. Can you do this for me? You’ll get the money back tomorrow.”

But the money, usually a few thousand euros, ends up in a fraudster's account.

The fraud is usually only noticed after a transfer, when real friends or relatives are called or contact the victim themselves. The State Criminal Police Office and the Rhineland-Palatinate Consumer Center provide tips on how you can protect yourself and your relatives from fraud.

• Put down the phone! That's not rude.
• The police will never call you on the police emergency number 110.
• Never hand over money or valuables to strangers!
• The police will never ask you to hand over money or valuables.
• Be suspicious if someone answers the phone with the words “Guess who’s speaking!” without introducing themselves by name.
• Do not use the dial back button! If you have any questions about the police, enter the telephone number of the local office yourself using the buttons.
• In an emergency, dial 110 (DE) or 133 (AT), the emergency number for the police!
• In all cases, consult your relatives by telephone or contact them on the “old” number.
• Do not make a transfer based solely on chat history.
• If necessary, save the chat history with screenshots, as the corresponding messages are usually subsequently deleted by the unknown perpetrators and do not disclose any further personal data. The screenshots can be important evidence in a criminal case.

For more information, see:

• Current “Fake Police Officer” scam
• Grandchildren trick
• Safe on Messenger: Protect yourself and your contacts from fraud
• Unauthorized advertising calls from alleged consumer advocates

Source: Consumer advice center

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