Crime - Police in international campaign against telephone fraud
The police in Rhineland-Palatinate have taken part in an international operation against con artists. The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Mainz announced on Tuesday that 34 cases of commercial gang fraud had been opened across the state during the two weeks of the campaign. The investigations focused on so-called grandchild fraud.
According to the LKA, the fraud calls mainly came from Poland. The suspects mainly relied on the so-called traffic accident legend: Older people were made to believe on the phone that relatives had caused a car accident and could only be saved from imprisonment by paying a high bail.
In four of the cases in Rhineland-Palatinate, perpetrators are said to have been successful - a total of 200,000 euros were taken. In addition, a telephone number monitored by the Trier police led to the arrest of three money collectors in Hesse.
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Europol, all 16 German states and police forces from Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg took part in the two weeks of action. During the investigations from the end of November, a call center in a suburb of Warsaw was also raided. The Polish police arrested three women who had allegedly made fraudulent calls from there. A total of 27 suspects were caught red-handed during the international investigation. According to the information, 74 grandchild frauds and losses totaling around five million euros were prevented.
Police statement
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- The police in Rhineland-Palatinate, specifically in Mainz, participated in an international operation to combat telephone fraud, focusing on cases in Rhineland-Palatinate during an Action week.
- The fraud concerned so-called grandchild fraud, and the tricksters predominantly relied on the fake traffic accident story to swindle elderly people, convincing them that they could save relatives from imprisonment by paying a high bail.
- Incidents of telephone fraud in Rhineland-Palatinate resulted in losses totalling 200,000 euros, with four cases leading to successful scams.
- The International collaboration against telephone fraud involved Germany (BKA and LKA), other European countries like Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, and Poland, eventually leading to the arrest of 27 suspects.
- The Polish Police, joining the international campaign, raided a call center in Warsaw, resulting in the arrest of three women who allegedly made fraudulent calls, preventing 74 grandchild frauds and losses worth around five million euros.
Source: www.stern.de
