Fraudsters arrested in Freden: Senior woman escaped shock call!

Fraudsters arrested in Freden: Senior woman escaped shock call!

A tragic incident recently almost occurred in the tranquil community of Freden: On Friday, December 5, 2025, fraudsters tried to con an elderly woman out of her money with a perfidious shock call. They posed as their daughter, who was reportedly seriously ill in the hospital and urgently needed money for medication. In order not to lose her nerve and do everything for her daughter, the senior citizen was prepared to prepare the requested sum of money, which was then to be collected (news.de).

However, the police became aware of the attempted fraud in time and were able to arrest a 22-year-old suspect who was found at the woman's house. During police interrogation, the accused confessed his involvement in the crime. An arrest warrant has already been issued at the request of the Hildesheim public prosecutor's office, with the suspect coming from other European countries and not having a registered address in Germany. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the police intervention is currently ongoing.

Serial fraud attempts in the region

This episode in Freden is part of a worrying series of shock calls and fraudulent schemes that particularly target older people. The Hildesheim police station has already warned several times that callers often pretend to be police officers or affected family members. They fake emergencies and demand money or valuables from the seniors (ndr.de).

In the past few months there have been several incidents in which older people in Alfeld and the surrounding area did not fall for the scammers. They immediately reported the calls to the police. For example, in Bad Iburg, a woman was able to alert the police herself during a shock call, which led to the arrest of a fraudster. In Lindhorst, however, there was enormous damage of over 100,000 euros because a woman was cheated on twice in a single day.

The perfidious game of fraudsters

As the police emphasize, the fraudsters act extremely professionally. They often pose as criminal investigators, prosecutors or even doctors and fabricate tragic stories about relatives in need. Fans of criminal culture know that such scams are increasing and the importance of prevention is growing. Many seniors are pressured into paying high deposits or handing over their valuables to a supposed official “for security.” But this “collector” is nothing other than a criminal who immediately runs away (sueddeutsche.de).

It is all the more important that seniors and their relatives remain vigilant and inform themselves about the danger of shock calls. The police urge you to always contact trustworthy people or the police if you receive suspicious calls - and never hand over money without thoroughly checking the situation first. Because in times when fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated, it can be expensive in the worst case scenario.