As of: March 28, 2024, 5:16 a.m
By: Carina Zimniok
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Internet fraudsters posed as actor Igor Jeftic and cheated a 90-year-old out of 25,000 euros. Jeftic and his colleagues are shocked - and report other atrocities online.
Polling - Magdalena Fest (name changed) loves the Rosenheim Cops. Every day, the 90-year-old from Polling in the Weilheim-Schongau district takes out her iPad and watches at least one episode. “It's so much fun!” But her love for the ZDF evening crime series has now cost her 25,000 euros.
The main characters of the Rosenheim Cops. The early evening crime series has been running on ZDF since 2002. © Bojan Ritan
Fraudsters posed as Rosenheim Cops Commissioner on Facebook
The 90-year-old spends a lot of time on the Internet, including Facebook. A few months ago she noticed the profile of one of her favorite actors: Igor Jeftic, who plays an inspector for the Rosenheim Cops. She makes contact - the supposed Jeftic actually answers. It goes back and forth, then the person asks to switch to the Telegram messaging service. “He said it was safer,” the senior remembers.
Soon the tone becomes confidential. The actor talks about his breakup, that his ex is threatening him, that he is in the USA and can't go home because his accounts are frozen. He ensnares Magdalena Fest, claiming that he longs for her and wants to meet her. “I was flattered,” she admits. She finds the real Jeftic attractive. She believes her online acquaintance and transfers 300 euros via Paypal.
The 90-year-old transfers money to the alleged Rosenheim Cops star - but it's never enough
But it doesn't stop there - more lies follow. And other transfers. He once fell in the bathroom and needed money for the orthopedist. He once lost his phone card. The largest sum that Fest transfers is 4,000 euros. “I had doubts,” she says. She wants a video as proof, the person first talks his way out of it, then sends an unclear passage. Magdalena Fest is skeptical, but trusts him. She doesn't tell her children anything.
Then the next stage: She receives a message that the actor can now access his account with $12.5 million. However, he needs her help again – and her money. Then she should transfer money from his account to another account and keep the amount she had already paid. The police said yesterday that fraudsters use this trick to launder money - fortunately the unknown person in the Fest case has now been stopped.
When the 90-year-old's son found out about the story, he immediately called the police
Last Thursday, her son happened to be sitting next to her as Fest looked at her iPad in shock. He confronts her, she tells him the story - he calls the police. But Magdalena Fest doesn't believe the officials that she has fallen victim to a fraudster. With the help of Pollinger's mayor, Martin Pape, the family contacts Rosenheim Cop actor Dieter Fischer, who has a close connection to the town through a sponsorship from the local hospice association. He asks his colleague Jeftic to call Magdalena Fest. “Only then did I believe it,” she says.
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Her sons quickly drive to the bank, check the bank statements and see that a last transfer failed because the account was overdrawn. Another 11,000 euros would otherwise have been lost. In total, Magdalena Fest lost 25,000 euros. "It's scary. I hope that history warns other victims,” says Mayor Martin Pape. The case is with the police - whether the investigation will produce anything is questionable. The fraudsters keep the amounts extra small to make tracking difficult.
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Rosenheim Cops actor Igor Jeftic: “I was shocked.”
Actor Igor Jeftic tells our newspaper: “I was shocked.” The fact that someone would use his name to gain trust and a lot of money is shocking. “It was important to me to call the lady so that she could see who I really am.” Dieter Fischer, who also plays an inspector, says: “It’s a mess.” He’s been observing strange things for a long time – and sees a connection with them the current fraud case: In December, Fischer first became aware of YouTube videos that at first glance suggested his death.
The image that leads to the video has a photo of him, a candle and the word “Farewell.” Among them: “Death of Dieter Fischer – the Rosenheim Cops: Farewell in sadness”. Anyone who clicks on the video will see advertising for three minutes. Text runs over it. It quickly becomes clear that the actor didn't really die. Similar videos can also be found about Rosenheim Cops actress Marisa Burger. Particularly tasteless: In the picture that leads to the video you can see a car wreck, next to it a mourning cross and the years 1973-2023 - Burger was born in 1973. You can also find such a video about Igor Jeftic.
Tasteless internet videos are circulating about the Rosenheim Cops actors © fkn
Actors of the Rosenheim Cops want to draw attention to the fraudsters' scams
Of course, Dieter Fischer doesn't know for sure whether these events have anything to do with the current fraud. But he suspects that the videos are used to identify particularly eager fans and target them by the scammers. Police Chief Inspector Anke Messerschmied, who is responsible for the Pollinger case, believes this is entirely possible.
When Fischer contacted the police some time ago, they said there was little they could do. “But someone has to be vulnerable,” says the actor angrily. In any case, he and his colleagues want to draw attention to the fraudsters – and warn their fans.
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