Shock calls and grandchild tricks: How to protect yourself in the Uckerseehalle!

Shock calls and grandchild tricks: How to protect yourself in the Uckerseehalle!

These days, fraudsters are becoming more and more bold and sophisticated. On October 11th at 6:30 p.m. everyone interested is invited to the Uckerseehalle to be informed about these dangers. Under the motto “Never say: ‘It won’t happen to me’!” real “criminal stories” are explored in an entertaining presentation. The event, which is moderated by Uwe Madel (Rbb) and Jürgen Schirmeister (Police Prevention), is not only aimed at seniors - everyone can benefit from it.

The event will aim to combine exciting episodes with valuable prevention knowledge. Scams such as the “grandchild trick”, “fake cop” and “shock call” are the focus. According to current reports, these methods are particularly perfidious: In shock calls, fraudsters pretend that their supposed relatives are in big trouble and that quick action is necessary to obtain large sums of money. A particularly blatant example comes from Bavaria, where a Munich resident lost over 400,000 euros as a result of such fraud. Another case shows how an 80-year-old woman from Berchtesgadener Land was defrauded of 150,000 euros using the grandchild trick. According to the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, these scams are the most common in Germany and cause enormous damage.

The dimension of the problem

The fraud crime figures are alarming. In 2024, there were 743,472 reported cases in Germany, a decrease of 1.5 percent. Nevertheless, the overall fraud rate has increased in recent years. What is particularly worrying is the over 100 million euros that were stolen through grandchild tricks and shock calls in 2023 alone. Even if the number of fraud attempts fell overall in 2023, a large proportion of these acts remain undetected: only around 20 percent of all fraud crimes are reported. This shows how important prevention and education are.

A significant proportion of these scams, including shock calls, are often carried out by internationally organized groups that operate primarily from Turkey or Eastern Europe. The perpetrators often pose as relatives or officials in order to inspire trust and get money or valuables. The police have therefore increased their educational and international cooperation efforts to counteract these dangerous developments.

Tips to avoid scams

The police recommend that you always be careful and suspicious of unexpected requests. Valuables should never be handed over to strangers, and if in doubt, you can use your own telephone number to contact relatives or the police directly. At the event in the Uckerseehalle, many useful tips will also be given on how to protect yourself from such scams.

Admission to the event is free, which offers the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information about the dangers and protection options. Don't be fooled by the clever scammers - education is the first step towards prevention!

You can find more information in the reports from Northern Courier, BR and BKA.