True to the motto “Constant dripping wears away the stone,” the police never tire of pointing out the methods used by fraudsters .

One scam used by fraudsters in telephone fraud is to pretend to be a police officer. This is usually followed by a story about alleged arrests of burglars and finding documents that show that you (the person you called) were apparently the victim of an impending burglary. The brazen fraudsters first build up a certain level of trust and then ask, sometimes in secret, but sometimes directly, for valuables or cash and then offer to secure them by picking them up.

Although the stories are not always exactly the same, in the end it always boils down to money or valuables being involved. This is one goal of telephone fraud; at the latest when it comes to it, you should simply end the conversation immediately. The police definitely never call to collect assets for security or to ask for personal information of any kind!

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Permanent education has an effect. In the three calls to senior citizens from Mittenaar that have become known yesterday (Tuesday, November 5th), the fraudsters, who used exactly the variant described, were fortunately unsuccessful.

Telephone scam – calls made by fake police officers

The perpetrators usually call older people. They research public directories for people with apparently traditional names such as Wilhelm, Karl, Erich, Margarete, Hildegard or Elisabeth.

By cleverly conducting the conversation, the callers pretend that they are officers of the local police, the public prosecutor's office or the Federal Criminal Police Office and that the victims (the people being called) are in a dangerous situation. When it comes to telephone fraud, victims are often told, contrary to truth, that a group of perpetrators is being investigated and that, as part of this investigation, it has become known that those affected are also said to be victims of a burglary, or that notes with their names and addresses have been confiscated when arrests have already been made.

Under the impression of this specific threat, the perpetrators obtain extensive information about personal circumstances, cash holdings or the type and amount of investments in banks. The first conversations with the victims often last hours and continue on subsequent days. Those affected are obliged to maintain absolute secrecy towards everyone, especially the local police, bank employees and family members.

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The callers often succeed in manipulating their victims into withdrawing their entire savings and handing them over to supposed police officers, BKA officials or employees of the public prosecutor's office or transferring them to people abroad. The “real” phone numbers of public prosecutors, courts or police stations often appear on the victims’ phones. But they are fictitious in the case of telephone fraud.

In some cases the number 110 also appears behind the location code - but this does not exist. The perpetrators actually generate these numbers using appropriate computer software. The number that appears on the display is absolutely no criterion for the fact that the person who can normally be reached at this number is actually calling.

Police tips against telephone fraud

  • Don't let yourself be put under pressure on the phone!
  • Be vigilant, suspicious and talk to someone you trust before you even think about withdrawing cash or transferring money or handing over money stored at home to strangers!
  • Never reveal confidential information. Authorities and reputable companies do not act in this way and never ask for sensitive data over the phone.
  • If you call back, you can avoid telephone fraud
  • However, never use phone numbers that are given to you, only the phone numbers you have found yourself. Choose consciously! Do not use the callback button!
  • Dial the emergency number 110 or the landline number of the relevant police, which you can find in the telephone book or via the Internet.


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