Police statistics - Number of telephone fraud cases similar to the previous year
Experts from the Hessian police expect the number of telephone fraud cases in 2023 to be as high as in the previous year. This applies, for example, to grandchild fraud and shock calls as well as cases of false police officers and promises of winnings, the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Wiesbaden announced in response to a request from the dpa news agency. According to the report, there is an upward trend in the amount of damage recorded. According to the LKA, specific case figures for 2023 will be published next spring.
In 2022, the police registered around 3,800 cases of telephone fraud, with losses totaling almost 15 million euros. Almost 280 cases of grandchild fraud alone were recorded, and around 250 cases of shock calls.
In 2023, fraudsters often used the legend that the potential victim's son or daughter had caused a serious accident and that a deposit now had to be paid, the officials explained. But the classic grandchild scam has also been used by perpetrators. The caller pretends to be a relative in need and asks for money.
According to warnings from the LKA, there are also still calls from fake police officers who warn of gangs of thieves or fake bank employees and want to collect the victim's assets as a precaution. "Basically, a high number of unreported cases can be assumed in the area of telephone fraud," explained the experts. In some cases, the victims do not report the scam out of shame or the call is ended when the scam is recognized and the police are not informed.
Shock calls or grandchild scams are still often targeted at senior citizens, the experts explained. "Older people appear to be ideal victims for the perpetrators due to their upbringing to be helpful, lack of knowledge of the law, but also gullibility and helplessness combined with being overwhelmed in the spontaneous crime situation." Women are affected more often than men.
The perpetrators use publicly accessible documents such as telephone directories or electronic telephone directories to select victims. There they search for (old) German first names, which may indicate the age of the victim, as the LKA explained.
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- The LKA in Wiesbaden expects a similar number of shock call and telephone fraud cases in 2023 as in the previous year, signaling an ongoing concern with criminality in Hesse.
- In response to a request from the dpa news agency, the police in Hesse revealed that they registered approximately 3,800 telephone fraud cases in 2022, resulting in losses of nearly 15 million euros.
- Officials from the LKA warned of an upward trend in the amount of damage recorded and explained that the classic grandchild scam and shock calls were the most common types of telephone fraud in 2023.
- Police statistics indicate that fraudsters often use the pretext of a family member's accident to request a deposit, but the classic grandchild scam is also still employed by perpetrators.
- The LKA advised the public that there is a high number of unreported telephone fraud cases, citing shame, lack of knowledge, gullibility, and helplessness among senior citizens as factors that contribute to underreporting, particularly in cases of shock calls and grandchild scams.
Source: www.stern.de
