Scam - Police action against shock callers: five suspects caught
As part of an international police operation against grandchild fraudsters and shock callers, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia have caught five suspects. The police in Cologne announced on Wednesday that the mostly undercover operations in NRW had been coordinated by the Cologne criminal investigation department. Suspects were caught in Lippstadt and Aachen. Some of them were remanded in custody.
Investigators from Germany, Poland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Europol were involved. Around a thousand officers were on duty every day for two weeks until December 8.
Plainclothes officers from Münster arrested a 48-year-old suspect and a 36-year-old alleged accomplice in Lippstadt after a crime. Shortly beforehand, an 85-year-old woman had allegedly handed over 12,500 euros to the duo. Investigators were able to recover the money and return it to the 85-year-old woman. The man and the woman are in custody. The case took place on December 7.
Three suspects had already attracted attention in Aachen on December 1. They were caught shortly before handing over 20,000 euros at the front door of a 95-year-old woman. The trio consisted of two men aged 18 and 38 and a 41-year-old woman. According to the police, the investigation is still ongoing.
The scam involves perpetrators calling elderly people from abroad. They pretend on the phone that a child or grandchild has caused a serious accident. Impending imprisonment can only be averted by paying a high bail. The money is handed over to people who are directed by the callers.
Cologne police statement
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- The international police operation against grandchild fraudsters and shock callers also involved investigators from Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Europol.
- The woman in Lippstadt, who allegedly handed over 12,500 euros to the suspects, is from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
- The police in Austria and Germany, along with their European counterparts, have been combating criminality related to scams for several weeks.
- The CID in Cologne worked closely with the police in other German states, such as North Rhine-Westphalia and North Rhine-Westphalia-West, in the operation against the shock callers.
- The woman in Cologne, who was about to hand over 20,000 euros to the suspects, was initially from Aachen, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, played a significant role in coordinating the police action against the shock callers across Europe.
- The 48-year-old suspect and his alleged accomplice, who were arrested in Lippstadt, will be prosecuted in a German court for their involvement in the scam.
- The police action against the shock callers in North Rhine-Westphalia and other European countries is a clear indication of the growing cooperation between law enforcement agencies to combat criminality in Europe.
Source: www.stern.de
