Criminals use shock calls such as the grandchild trick to put their victims under massive pressure with horror stories and rob them of all their money. How to recognize such calls and respond correctly.
Bremen – Reports of fraudulent calls are increasing. Again and again, people are robbed of their savings by shock calls – in many cases with the so-called grandchild trick. The victims are often seniors. In Trappenberg, a 90-year-old woman recently lost 30,000 euros because she wanted to save her daughter, who was allegedly involved in a serious traffic accident.
The stories that scammers serve up to their victims are usually hair-raising. The sums involved are often high. In the district of Oldenburg, shock callers captured 120,000 euros in just two days.
Cases of fraud with shock calls and grandchild tricks continue to rise
Several million euros a year are scammed nationwide with such shock calls, estimates the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). And the number of cases is increasing. From 2021 to 2022, the authority recorded a significant increase, reports Der Spiegel. The police also assume that the number of unreported cases is quite high, as many victims of fraud do not file a complaint out of shame. What is the best way to protect yourself from falling into the trap of nasty scammers?
Recognizing shock calls – scammers often tell similar stories during grandchild trick calls
The most important thing in the first step is to recognize that it is a shock call in the first place. Quite often the phone calls start according to a similar pattern: "Guess who is here ...", this is how the conversations often begin. The aim is to elicit information from the called party so that it can be used to put pressure on the victim.
The White Ring therefore recommends never to get involved in such games and to name names or disclose other information. Especially not if the person pretends to be a relative, but you don't recognize them as such.
In the case of shock calls, the scammers pretend to be relatives or police officers
Another indication: The fraudsters are building up a threat scenario. The "granddaughter" calls sobbing because she is involved in a fatal traffic accident and can only be released on bail. Or fake police officers spread false reports of gangs of thieves breaking into houses in the area. The perpetrators then offer to bring the valuables of their victims to safety. But in truth, they will probably never see them again.
Some tips will help not to fall for the grandchild trick. © Sven Ellger/IMAGO
0
Also Read
Road sign with orange "egg" on waves confuses motorists – this is what it means
READ
Aldi customers have to adapt: Big change planned in the discounter
READ
Mass layoffs: Vodafone loses hundreds of thousands of customers
READ
Haribo sounds the alarm and launches recall – do not eat popular cult candy under any circumstances
READ
Urgent candy recall at Rewe, Dm and Co.: Internal bleeding is imminent
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
The criminals usually proceed at random. They do not specifically spy on their victims, but take advantage of the acute moment of shock. To do this, they have to be fast: the fraud must take place within one and a half to two hours, a BKA chief detective explains to Der Spiegel. To do this, they cleverly put their victims in an exceptional psychological situation.
The victims of shock calls are put under time pressure – so that they cannot think clearly
Accordingly, they enter the story emotionally and do not give the called person time to reflect on the situation. The callees are immediately under enormous stress and can no longer act prudently – rational thinking is temporarily suspended.
The North Rhine-Westphalia police therefore advises to hang up immediately and end the conversation if an alleged relative demands money on the phone. If you are worried about the person close to you, it is better to call them back and ask. It is very important to get out of the situation and first ask yourself whether this can really be the case.
Recognizing shock calls: Alarm bells should ring when money is requested
Basically, all alarm bells should ring when it is said that someone is about to come by to hand over money and valuables. This is a case for the police. If possible, make a note of the number where the scammers called and inform the police on 110.
Passwords or PIN numbers should also never be passed on to others, advises the White Ring. Banks and other official bodies would never ask you to do so. Even the public order office or the public prosecutor's office never ask for fines to be paid by telephone.
To protect against shock calls: Better to be suspicious and never give out money or passwords
It is advisable to be suspicious once more than to believe everything. Because once the money is gone, the chances of getting it back are very poor. Trick fraud is usually not covered by household contents insurance.
Fraudsters are now also using artificial intelligence that simulates deceptively real voices to rip off their victims. But criminals also use messenger services such as WhatsApp to try to trick people. Even with this scam, they usually pretend to be a relative and have a new cell phone number. Then, under a pretext, they ask the other person to transfer money. In this case, it is best to immediately call the person on the known number itself to ask if the story is true. In this way, the whole thing can usually be clarified quickly by yourself.