Fraud scandal in Celle: 83-year-old loses valuable coin collection!

Fraud scandal in Celle: 83-year-old loses valuable coin collection!

An 83-year-old from Celle fell victim to a devious scam on Friday morning that was triggered by a call from an alleged public prosecutor. The caller, who claimed to be from law enforcement, claimed that the man's granddaughter had caused a fatal accident. In order to help her, a deposit of 100,000 euros is due, which must be paid immediately, as Celler Presse reported.

Under the pressure of this desperate situation, the senior citizen stated that he wanted to deposit a valuable coin collection, the value of which was in the five-figure range, as security. In several telephone conversations he was then directed to downtown Braunschweig, where he handed the coins to an unknown woman at Ruhfäutchenplatz. However, the agreed meeting in front of the district court, which was supposed to clarify the further course of the story, never took place.

The extent of the fraud

After a clarifying conversation with his family, it quickly became clear that the entire incident was a scam. Such “grandchild tricks” are not an isolated case; They represent one of the most common types of fraudulent activities against older people. According to Polizeiberatung, con artists are particularly interested in the trust and good faith of seniors. They specifically exploit phone book entries to find potential victims. Older first names and shorter phone numbers are a clear sign that someone could be senior.

Feedback from victims shows that a large number of fraud attempts take place using various pretexts, from grand tricks to promises of prizes to fake police officers. The police recommend that you remove yourself from the telephone book or shorten your first name so that you are not easily targeted by fraudsters.

Review of developments

A comprehensive analysis shows that fraud against older people has reached increasingly worrying levels in recent years. As VPN Ranks reports, senior scams increased by 14% in 2023, with a total loss of $3.4 billion. This shows that criminals continue to exploit the trustworthiness and financial security of older people.

Losses of $1.6 billion were recorded in the first half of 2024, almost $300 million more than the previous year. Experts warn that seniors are becoming prime targets for fraudsters due to their vulnerability due to advancing digitalization and the effects of the pandemic. This makes it all the more important to raise awareness of such scams and take preventive measures.

The criminal police immediately began investigations after the incident in Celle. It remains to be hoped that such fraud attempts can be suppressed through increasing citizen awareness and effective investigative work so that older people do not continue to be harmed emotionally and financially.