Fake police officers in Western Pomerania: Seniors cheated out of thousands of euros!

Fake police officers in Western Pomerania: Seniors cheated out of thousands of euros!

Fake police officers are currently up to mischief in Western Pomerania and the Lake District. According to NDR, two seniors were recently selected as victims of a sophisticated scam. An 86-year-old in Grimmen lost a whopping 8,000 euros, while an 83-year-old in Neubrandenburg had to give away valuables worth 6,000 euros. The perpetrators always proceed in a similar way: They call on the phone and make the victims believe that their money is in danger and ask them to hand over the valuables for “checking”.

Those affected must therefore fall for a simple trick on the part of the caller. A telephone conversation often revolves around alleged counterfeit money smugglers. The victim is asked to withdraw money and hand it over to someone to collect it. She is described as a 30-year-old woman who looks Asian and speaks German without an accent. The call for personal responsibility in such cases is important: “Officers never request valuables,” warns the police. If in doubt, citizens should always dial 110.

A worrying trend

The phenomenon of call center fraud, in which perpetrators pose as prosecutors, bank employees or police officers, is not an isolated case. As Tagesschau reports, tricky fraudsters in Germany stole millions of euros in 2022, primarily through calls to older people. An insider who wanted to remain anonymous and calls himself “Mr. Jäger” provides an insight into the well-organized structures of these call centers. The fraudsters even manage to display German telephone numbers using “Call ID Spoofing” in order to gain trust from the victim.

In recent years, the police have made increasing efforts to put a stop to this type of crime. In September 2022, 67 telephone fraudsters were sentenced to long prison sentences in Turkey. However, the problem remains: cooperation between German and Turkish investigative authorities is often difficult and time-consuming, especially when it comes to extraditions.

Overall development of fraud crime

Given these incidents, what is worrying is the overall decline in fraud crime. According to the BKA, there was a decrease of 1.5 percent to 743,472 cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, it turns out that call center fraud is a central problem that does not affect Mainz alone. However, the downward trend could cloud public perception. Police and law enforcement authorities are constantly rethinking their strategies to catch perpetrators and take preventive action against such crimes.

There are some simple prevention tips for citizens: Don't trust quick handovers of money and never give valuables to strangers. In general, you should use your own telephone number to contact relatives or the police instead of following instructions over the phone.

Seniors in particular are often exposed to great danger and awareness of these fraudulent scams must be increased. The police want to help avoid misunderstandings and fears through information events and awareness campaigns. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to be vigilant and take suspicions seriously so as not to fall victim to such vile machinations.