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Fraudster in Neustrelitz: Pensioner loses thousands of euros when buying potatoes
A fraudulent potato seller in Neustrelitz lies to senior citizens while the police investigate. Protect yourself!
Fraudster in Neustrelitz: Pensioner loses thousands of euros when buying potatoes
In Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a case of fraud is causing a stir. A previously unknown potato seller cheated an 84-year-old pensioner out of several thousand euros over a long period of time. The man offered to deliver fresh potatoes directly to her front door - an offer that the senior citizen gratefully accepted. Reports from NDR According to the report, the fraudster, aged between 40 and 50, appeared at the woman's house several times and put her under pressure, which led to large debits from her account. The woman's relatives noticed the irregular transactions, which brought the police to the scene.
What is particularly interesting is that the police are currently looking for a suspect who is around 1.80 meters tall and was last seen wearing a boiler suit and driving a white van. The investigators hope to be able to catch the perpetrator with information from the public.
Fraud on different levels
This incident does not stand alone. As early as April 2024, there was a serious case of fraud in Neustrelitz in which two suspects posed as criminal police officers. They were targeting an 84-year-old victim. In a call, they pretended that house break-ins were taking place in the neighborhood and offered to “secure” valuables. The frightened woman then handed over jewelry, cash and even her debit card with a secret number, which the perpetrators used to withdraw 1,000 euros from her account. The total damage amounted to almost 30,000 euros. In this case, the suspects were identified by the police and had to appear before the local court in Waren on Wednesday, as reported by Northern Courier held.
Current developments cannot be seen in isolation from a worrying increase in cyber fraud against older people. According to the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), there was an increase of over 50 percent in cases of fraud against senior citizens in 2023. This is largely due to the professionalization of fraudsters, who are now using increasingly sophisticated methods and are primarily concentrating on online banking. Phishing attacks in which emails supposedly from banks request sensitive data are particularly common. Due to the increasing digitalization of banking, seniors face major challenges and often have to laboriously acquire skills in online banking and are therefore particularly vulnerable to fraud, such as: Care panorama announced.
It's clear that protecting seniors from fraud is more necessary than ever. Relatives and friends are called upon to help and raise awareness of their older people. Because on the Internet and also in personal contact, mistrust is often the best weapon against the tricks of fraudsters.