International operation against grandchild fraudsters

Crime - International operation against grandchild fraudsters

Investigators from Germany, Poland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the European police authority Europol have launched an international operation against so-called grandchild fraudsters. 27 suspects were arrested between November 27 and December 8, as the Berlin public prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday. 74 crimes with an estimated loss of five million euros were prevented.

According to the information, around 1,000 officers were involved daily in the two-week operation, which was led by the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and coordinated by the Berlin LKA in consultation with the Berlin public prosecutor's office.

According to the information provided, the suspects claimed on the phone, mainly to elderly people, that a family member had caused a car accident and that only the immediate payment of a high bail could avoid imprisonment.

The police have also observed that the suspects have recently been choosing their victims with the help of obituaries. From the obituaries, they learn the names of the children of the deceased, who are then named as the alleged perpetrators in front of the bereaved. The suspects thus take advantage of the time of mourning.

Thanks to the cross-border cooperation of all the departments involved, it was possible to arrest not only suspects who were responsible for logistics and collecting money, but also callers. The dismantling of a call center in a suburb of Warsaw was cited as a major success. In Lippstadt in North Rhine-Westphalia, two suspects were arrested during a money transfer.

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1. The international operation against grandchild fraudsters involved law enforcement agencies from Germany, Poland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Europol, demonstrating a strong commitment to combating criminality across borders.
2. The Berlin public prosecutor's office, in consultation with the Berlin LKA, coordinated the operation against the grandchild scammers, leading to the arrest of 27 suspects and the prevention of 74 crimes with a total estimated loss of five million euros.
3. The operation was also supported by the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the police forces in various countries, including Austria and Switzerland, working together to disrupt the criminal activities and dismantle their network.
4. Europol, the European police authority, played a crucial role in the operation, providing valuable intelligence and support to the participating law enforcement agencies in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Poland.
5. The success of the operation shows the importance of international cooperation in fighting criminality and the need for law enforcement agencies to work together across borders to tackle transnational crimes such as grandchild fraud, ensuring a safer and more secure Europe for all.

Source: www.stern.de