The phone rings:
"Yes hello, it's me, your granddaughter. I had an accident, I'm injured, but I'm fine. It wasn't my fault either. But the other woman, she needs an operation. We want to sort it out without too much fuss. And that costs money...!"
or
"Hi, I'm your grandson. I can get a cheap apartment at short notice. I need money quickly for a deposit. But don't tell the others. It's supposed to be a surprise!"
Or, or, or ...
This or something similar is how fraudsters use the grandchildren scam to trick older people out of their savings.
The phenomenon of the "grandchild trick"
The perpetrators call older people under the pretext of being relatives (usually grandchildren or nephews) or good acquaintances: "Guess who's on the phone?" They then feign a financial shortage and ask for large sums of cash because they need the money immediately due to an emergency (for example after a car accident). By making several phone calls in a short space of time, the callers increase the psychological pressure on their victims, combined with appeals such as: "Please help me!" The perpetrators ask for absolute confidentiality towards third parties (e.g. other relatives). Because they are supposedly unable to come themselves, they agree a password with the elderly people that a friend or acquaintance will give when they collect the money as a messenger. In numerous cases, the elderly victims have withdrawn large sums of money from their account after such conversations in order to help the supposed grandchild.
The NRW police recommend that relatives or loved ones of elderly people:
- To protect older people, talk to them about the methods used by con artists.
If you are called yourself:
- Be careful if someone asks you for money over the phone
- Just hang up the phone as soon as the person you are talking to, often a supposed grandson, asks you for money.
- Make sure that the caller is really a relative. Call him back.
- Never hand over money to people you do not know.
- Inform the police immediately if you think a call is suspicious: Emergency number 110!
- In any case, contact the police if you have become a victim and file a report.
- If you have any questions, the officers at your local police station who are specially trained in victim protection will be happy to help you.