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Fraudsters in the Mettmann district: targeted seniors!
In the Mettmann district, police and authorities are warning about scams that specifically take advantage of senior citizens. Recent cases show how fraudulent callers pose as bank employees or police officers to get money and valuables. Raising awareness and preventive measures are crucial to protect older people.
Fraudsters in the Mettmann district: targeted seniors!
In the Mettmann district, the number of fraudulent calls, particularly directed at older people, is reaching alarming proportions. According to lintorfer.eu, on Monday, July 7th, two senior citizens became victims of brazen fraudsters who posed as bank employees. An 89-year-old man received a telephone call at 1 p.m. in which the supposed bank employee explained to him that he had to pick up the debit card for “checking” and asked for the PIN. Tragically, the senior gave his card to a collector with a southern appearance.
Unfortunately, this incident didn't stop there. An 83-year-old also fell for the same scam when he received a call telling him that his debit card had to be withdrawn due to the risk of misuse. He also gave his card to a man with a similar appearance and only noticed the injustice afterwards.
The perfidious methods of fraudsters
The fraudsters' methods are varied and often perfectly sophisticated. [Police Hesse](https://www.polizei.hessen.de/schutz-sicherheit/rat-und-sorge/sicherheit-fuer-senioren/broker.jsp?uMen=f05 70ee1-825a-f6f8-6373-a91bbcb63046&uCon=3d4306e0-4d7c-1971-d4c7-17b103b95c53&uTem=bff71055-bb1d-50f1-2860-72700266cb59) illustrates that common fraud variants such as the grandchild trick or calls from fake police officers target the savings of older people. Perpetrators use techniques to disguise their identities and spread false information to gain trust.
The scam used by the fake police officers is particularly perfidious: In the phone call, they demonstrate that burglars are targeting senior citizens' savings and demand that valuables be handed over to a "safe place". They show fake police ID cards and use techniques to display a real telephone number, which makes it particularly difficult for the affected seniors to recognize the truth.
Protective measures for seniors
To protect yourself from these scams, it is important to follow some basic security recommendations. As pflegehilfe-senioren.de notes, seniors should be suspicious of unknown calls. You should not reveal any personal or financial details and it is best to just hang up if the pressure increases.
- Konnte kein Dienstausweis vorgezeigt werden, ist es ratsam, keinen Unbekannten in die Wohnung zu lassen.
- Bei Verdacht sollten Betroffene die Behörde anrufen, um die Echtheit des Anrufers zu überprüfen.
- Die Polizei empfiehlt, keine Wertsachen ohne Überprüfung der Identität abzugeben.
In addition, it is advisable to inform relatives about suspicious calls and, if possible, to always ask someone for advice if you have a strange feeling.
The scams are constantly evolving and it is more important than ever that seniors and their families are actively informed. Education is the best protection against these perfidious machinations. Above all: trust your own gut feeling and don't let yourself be put under pressure. Because security and trust are a good feeling – especially in old age.