Criminals are apparently trying to take advantage of the Germans' willingness to help in the course of the flood disaster and the plight of those affected.
Bonn / Cologne - Germany has been hit hard by the storms and floods of the past few days.
From North Rhine-Westphalia to southeast Bavaria, the weather * has left enormous damage.
Many now want to help with monetary donations or donations in kind.
But this willingness to help are now apparently trying to exploit fraudsters for themselves.
Flood donations in Germany: warning against criminals
In three cases, suspected fraudsters had offered building dryers online, as the police in Cologne and Bonn reported on Monday. After those affected had ordered there and paid in advance, the companies could no longer be reached by phone. In another case, a supposed electrical company would have offered repairs, but would not have performed them after payment.
In Cologne, the police are looking for suspected fraudsters who copied a photo published on Facebook of an apartment destroyed by the flood and then asked for donations in a new post. It is now being determined whether someone has followed the call. The post had been deleted. In all cases, suspected fraud is investigated. The police warned in Monday's statement of fraud in connection with the flood disaster.
The criminals took advantage of the people's helplessness and willingness to donate.
Fake Internet shops are difficult to recognize at first glance: “Since the perpetrators operate from abroad, deleting such fake shops is often cumbersome and time-consuming.
The fraudsters can therefore rob unsuspecting online buyers of their money for many weeks, ”warned the police.
Because they often tempted customers with incredibly low prices, customers should, for example, not make spontaneous purchases and compare prices in advance.
Here is a list of trustworthy donation accounts.
(dpa / rjs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
