Police are looking for ATM thief: pensioners brought for thousands of euros!

Police are looking for ATM thief: pensioners brought for thousands of euros!

in Bitterfeld, the police recorded the search for a suspected perpetrator who stole the wallet and the EC card on February 3, 2025, a 71-year-old pensioner. The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. in Bismarckstrasse, where the perpetrator at the ATM had withdrawn several thousand euros after taking the card. In the days after, the man also made purchases in Bitterfeld, Landsberg and Halle with the stolen EC card. In order to identify him, pictures from the monitoring camera of the ATM were published, which, however, only reveal details of his face and not his identity because the perpetrator was melted. At the time of the recordings, he wore jeans and sneakers.

The local authorities ask the population for help. If someone has information about the identity or the residence of the suspect, you will advise to contact the police on 03493/3010 or by email. In addition, the importance of blocking stolen cards is pointed out to avoid financial damage. If you come across something like that, you should act quickly.

quick reaction is crucial

according to [police-beratung.de] (https://www.polizei-beratung.de/themen-und-tipps/betrug/ec-und-kreditkarten cord/) The immediate blocking of stolen or lost cards is the best way to advance possible financial losses. The central blocking number 116 116 was introduced in 2005 and is the worldwide first uniform number to block cards.

bank customers should have their cards locked as soon as possible and contact their account -leading institute immediately. Special blocking numbers for credit cards such as MasterCard and Visa are also offered that can be reached free of charge from the German landline. This is particularly important because the number of unreported cases is very high for credit card fraud in Germany. Around 37,000 cases were reported in 2021, whereby not all cases are reported, as explained on ra-kotz.de.

liability and rights of consumers

The liability of the cardholder in fraud is limited if he complies with the duties of care. In the event of gross negligence or intentions, liability can be unlimited. It is therefore important to keep your PIN safely and never leave the card unattended.

In such a case, the following steps should be followed: lock the card immediately, reimburse the police and contact the bank to report the damage. Here, too, it is advisable to check the billing regularly and report suspicious activities immediately to avoid unpleasant surprises.

of intelligent and careful handling of banking and credit cards is not only affected by your own money, but ultimately also the general security in payment transactions. The police emphasize the importance of being vigilant in order not to get into the catches of fraudsters.