Police looking for ATM thief: pensioner deprived of thousands of euros!

Police looking for ATM thief: pensioner deprived of thousands of euros!

In Bitterfeld, the police have started a search for a suspected perpetrator who stole the wallet and debit card of a 71-year-old pensioner on February 3, 2025, a Saturday afternoon. The incident happened around 4:45 p.m. on Bismarckstrasse, where the perpetrator withdrew several thousand euros from the ATM after taking the card. In the days that followed, the man also made purchases in Bitterfeld, Landsberg and Halle with the stolen EC card. To identify him, images from the ATM's surveillance camera were released, but they only reveal details of his face and not his identity as the perpetrator was masked. At the time of the recording he was wearing jeans and sneakers.

The local authorities are asking the public for help. If anyone has information about the identity or whereabouts of the suspect, they are advised to contact the police on 03493/3010 or by email. It also highlights the importance of blocking stolen cards to avoid financial loss. If you come across something like this, you should act quickly.

Quick response is crucial

According to polizei-beratung.de, immediately blocking stolen or lost cards is the best way to forestall possible financial losses. The central blocking number 116 116 was introduced in 2005 and is the world's first uniform number for blocking cards.

Bank customers should have their cards blocked as quickly as possible and contact their account-holding institution immediately. Special blocking numbers are also offered for credit cards such as MasterCard and Visa, which can be reached free of charge from German landlines. This is particularly important because the number of unreported cases of credit card fraud in Germany is very high. Around 37,000 cases were reported in 2021, although not all cases are often reported, as explained on ra-kotz.de.

Liability and rights of consumers

The cardholder's liability in the event of fraud is limited if they comply with due diligence requirements. However, in the event of gross negligence or intent, liability may be unlimited. It is therefore important to keep your PIN safe and never leave the card unattended.

In such a case, you should take the following steps: block the card immediately, file a police report and contact the bank to report the damage. Here, too, it is advisable to check your bills regularly and report any suspicious activity immediately to avoid unpleasant surprises.

When you use bank and credit cards intelligently and carefully, not only your own money is affected, but ultimately also the general security of payment transactions. The police emphasize the importance of being vigilant so as not to fall into the clutches of fraudsters.