The Germeringer police warn of “shock calls” as a scam. Two to three reports were currently received daily from those affected in the inspection.
In the service area, there are currently frequent so-called shock calls. Citizens receive an SMS or a call from scammers who pretend to be children or grandchildren and pretend that there is an emergency: They usually claim that they have been arrested for having run over a person and need money for bail or for medical treatment in the Abroad. If the fraudster is convinced that the deceived person has valuables or cash, an “employee” will organize collection as soon as possible. The damage sometimes goes up to six-digit sums.
The damage is in six figures
Up to three cases a day are currently reported to the Germeringer service, but it can be assumed that the number of unreported cases will be significantly higher: “Many of those called see through the scam and end the contact, some victims are ashamed of their behavior after the handover and do not report it,” so the police. The telephone fraudsters are highly professional: They have built up a criminal network with complex infrastructures and have “earned” millions in the past few years.
The victims of phone scammers are mostly older people.
(Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa)
The police therefore advise: You should not let yourself be put under pressure and, if in doubt, simply hang up. Unusual phone calls should definitely be discussed with people close to you. Another piece of advice from the police: “Don’t answer the phone if the number is suppressed or you don’t know it. Let the caller speak to your answering machine and, if in doubt, dial 110 to make sure that the call is his can be correct.”
You should not give any information about the financial circumstances
Furthermore, one should not give any information about financial circumstances on the phone. You should be suspicious, especially when asking about cash and valuables at home. The police would never ask for cash or valuables. The transfer of an amount of assets or an alleged “deposit” does not protect against criminal prosecution, nor is medical treatment dependent on a previous payment of money. And finally: “Never give money to strangers and never leave valuables in front of the door to be picked up.”
More information on the phenomenon can be found at: https://www.polizei.bayern.de/schuetzen-und-vorbeugen/beratung/039355/index.html
The associated prevention campaign #NMMO – #NotMitMeinerOma can be found here: https://www.polizei.bayern.de/schuetzen-und-vorbeugen/senioren/027381/index.html