- Increased harm from deceit in the North East region
Last year, the nuisance from dubious swindling incidents, commonly known as "trick crimes," saw a substantial surge in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, reaching approximately 4.7 million euros. This marked an increase of roughly 700,000 euros compared to 2022. This information was shared by the State Criminal Office (LKA) upon request from the German Press Agency.
In 2021, the financial loss was around 3.5 million euros. The figures for 2019 and 2020 were both under 2 million euros. The average loss per case also saw a rise, about doubling to nearly 2,000 euros in 2023 from around 1,300 euros in the prior two years.
Grandparent scam on the rise
According to the LKA, a majority of these instances involved targeting elderly individuals, with the goal of obtaining cash or valuable items. One of the most common tactics used is the so-called grandparent scam, where scammers pose as the victim's grandchildren to extract wealth.
In 2023, there were 721 completed cases in the northeast, over 100 more than in 2022. There were more than 1,600 attempted trick crimes, contrasted with over 2,500 cases the previous year.
LKA cites two factors for the surge
By the end of July this year, there were approximately 450 completed and another 570 attempted cases in the northeast involving victims aged 60 years or older. The overall damage was estimated to be around 3.6 million euros, a significant increase from earlier in the year.
The LKA pointed out two key factors for this surge: the rise in love scams, wherein fraudsters create deceptive profiles on social media platforms or dating apps to acquire funds. Secondly, there's been a spike in scams related to cryptocurrencies, a digital form of payment.
The surge in "trick crimes" led to a significant financial loss, with the total money swindled reaching 4.7 million euros in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 2023. Many of these crimes involved elderly individuals and employed tactics like the grandparent scam, where scammers impersonated grandchildren to extract wealth.
