Trick calls - Thuringia takes part in international operation against fraudsters
Investigators in Thuringia have also taken action against suspected perpetrators in an international operation to combat so-called grandchild fraud. From the end of November into December, 34 attempts were reported in the state in which the perpetrators demanded a total of more than 1.29 million euros in cash, jewelry or gold bars, as the Jena state police station announced on Thursday. The Jena CID coordinated the overall operation for Thuringia. In two of the cases mentioned, the perpetrators were successful and caused damage amounting to 7800 and 55,000 euros.
Police officers from all federal states, officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg as well as from Europol - the EU police authority - were involved in the large-scale operation. Around 1000 officers were involved in the operation every day. The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation arrested 27 suspects who were allegedly involved in the fraud in various ways. A total of 74 grandchild frauds and a total loss of around 5 million euros were prevented, it was reported.
The suspects, known as "Keiler" in investigators' jargon, who call potential victims, are mainly located in Poland, it was reported. They mainly use a traffic accident legend as a scam: the callers tell the mostly elderly people on the phone that a daughter, son or other family member has caused a car accident. Only the immediate payment of a high bail can prevent the relatives from being arrested.
The police are also warning of a new variant of grandchild fraud. Fraudsters use obituaries in daily newspapers to find out the names of the children of deceased people. They then use these names to contact the bereaved as the alleged perpetrators of an accident. "The suspects take advantage of the time of mourning after the loss of a loved one. The claims in these cases are usually in excess of 100,000 euros," say the police.
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Source: www.stern.de
