Unscrupulous fraudsters exploit these feelings by posing as a son or daughter via WhatsApp and pretending to be in distress. We ourselves have been reporting on this for years !

Innovative scam: fake distress and collect account details

The perfidious thing about this scam: The scammers contact their victims via an unknown number and pretend to be the recipient's child. In the message they describe an alleged emergency situation and ask for money. As a rule, four-digit amounts are required in various bank accounts. This method takes advantage of parental compassion and children's natural protective instincts.

This is what an SMS or WhatsApp message from “children” can look like

WhatsApp: Fake children rip off parents – perpetrators arrested!

Bielefeld police intervene: fraudsters in custody

After several months of extensive investigations by the criminal police, the authorities succeeded on June 23, 2023 in executing three arrest warrants and five search warrants against a group of five young people from Bielefeld. The suspects, aged 17 to 19, are suspected of having committed extensive fraudulent crimes via messenger services.

The police write:

“The five accused from Bielefeld, aged 17 to 19, are accused of having committed extensive fraudulent acts using messenger services. The victims each received a text message from an unknown number. The plight of a daughter or son was simulated. In the further course, the injured parties were usually asked to transfer four-digit amounts of money to various bank accounts.”

Cooperation with other suspects: investigations are ongoing

There is also a suspicion that they worked with other suspects from the Bielefeld area in the fraud. These individuals are said to have made their bank accounts available to receive the fraudulently obtained funds. These people are also currently being investigated. The three main perpetrators were finally brought before the Bielefeld district court. Pretrial detention was ordered there.

Warning signal and vigilance: Lessons from the fraud case

The arrest of these fraudsters is a warning to anyone who might consider similar methods. At the same time, it is a reminder to remain vigilant and protect yourself from such fraud attempts. It is always advisable to be very careful with transfer requests, especially from unknown numbers. And when in doubt, you should always confirm before acting. Because not every message that supposedly comes from a loved one is real, as this case shows.

Source: Bielefeld police


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