27 arrests in major international operation against grandchild fraud
In an international operation against the so-called grandchild scam, 27 suspects have been caught red-handed and arrested. According to the police and the public prosecutor's office, 74 crimes and losses of around five million euros were prevented. The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation coordinated the operation in all federal states as well as in Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, and the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation and Europol were also involved.
The arrests were made between November 27 and December 8. Each day, around a thousand officers were involved in the operations, the investigators added. They announced that evidence seized would now be analyzed and used to solve numerous other crimes.
The investigators described the scam as follows: The perpetrators, known as "Keiler", called their victims. They are mostly elderly people. They are told that a family member has caused a car accident and that they have to pay a high bail to avoid being arrested. According to the information provided, the calls are mostly made from Poland.
Recently, obituaries have also been used, from which the perpetrators learn the names of the children of the deceased. This makes the scam call seem even more credible to the bereaved during their time of mourning. The claims in these cases are usually in excess of one hundred thousand euros.
In Poland, special forces reportedly broke up a call center. Three female callers aged 16, 22 and 35 were arrested while calls were still being made. They had made fraudulent calls to Germany from a specially rented house in the presence of two children.
In Lippstadt in North Rhine-Westphalia, a woman and a man were arrested who had initially been observed in Hesse. In Lippstadt, the police reportedly observed an 85-year-old woman handing over money to the two men and arrested them. They are accused of three other attempted crimes in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and are in custody.
Berlin's police commissioner Barbara Slowik explained: "The grandchild trick is a particularly perfidious form of crime, as it is primarily aimed at older people." They are taken by surprise and often lose their entire savings.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
- Numerous oil, gas and coal lobbyists at climate conference
After analyzing the seized evidence, investigators discovered a strategy involving coarse insertions of the grandchild's name into the scam calls, aiming to increase the scam's credibility. To prevent potential victims from falling for the scam, authorities advised the public to verify information through a direct call to the family member in question. Unfortunately, a call scam was reportedly still in progress, with several individuals accused of participating in the fraud.
Source: www.ntv.de
