Shock call in Torgau: 81-year-old exposes perfidious attempt at fraud!

Shock call in Torgau: 81-year-old exposes perfidious attempt at fraud!

The story of Christa Manthey from Torgau impressively shows how important it is to remain calm and to question critically when faced with scary calls. On September 16th of this year, the 81-year-old received a shocking call at 4:30 p.m. that initially upset her. The caller described a dramatic scenario: Manthey's daughter, said the incredibly tearful voice on the other end, was seriously ill in the hospital and urgently needed expensive medication.

As the conversation continued, an alleged Dr. Schuster, who began the conversation by claiming that the drug had to be flown in from the USA and cost 40,000 euros. An amount that skyrocketed and immediately made Manthey suspicious. The lack of telephone number transmission and the lack of clarity about the name of the treating professor confirmed her suspicions. So she asked a few critical questions, whereupon the caller abruptly hung up.

A blessing in disguise

After this worrying call, Manthey did not hesitate and contacted her grandson in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, who immediately assured her that her daughter was fine. This relief prompted the Torgau woman to also inform her grandson about the incident. She then took further action and filed a police report to warn others about similar scams.

Police Chief Inspector André Knittel confirmed that such sophisticated fraud schemes are increasingly occurring in the region. In the past week alone, a total of eleven shock calls were registered in the North Saxony district, eight of them in Torgau. However, the scam with the doctor is new and alarming.

Shock Calls – A common scam

Shock calls are known to specifically target older people in order to fleece them financially. Fraudsters pose not only as relatives, but also as police officers or doctors. The aim is often to get those called to hand over money or valuables due to alleged emergencies. These tricks often work because the shock affects those affected' rational thinking, experts point out. Micaela Schwanenberg from the consumer advice center advises responding calmly and thoughtfully to calls and asking security questions.

• Bei Unsicherheit die Nummer 110 wählen.
• Auflegen, wenn man sich unter Druck gesetzt fühlt.
• Angehörige über bekannte Nummern kontaktieren.
• Keine persönlichen Daten am Telefon preisgeben.

Police strongly warn against discussing personal or financial information over the phone and say that in most cases, treatment costs for accident victims should never be incurred. Taking care of your own safety should be a top priority.

Christa Manthey's story is an instructive reminder for everyone: taking the right action in panic situations can not only protect against financial loss, but also protect the family's emotional well-being.

For further information on these fraud attempts, those interested can visit the website police and from MDR inform.