Lousy rip-off: pensioner gives 80,000 euros to fraudsters after a shock call - police are looking for perpetrators

Created: 05/06/2022, 15:47

By: Nikola Obermeier

"They tricked me." The 88-year-old woman, who spent three hours on the phone with the scammers, wants to warn others.

She describes the fraud chronologically.

© mw

An 88-year-old pensioner from Wiedenzhausen describes how she was cheated out of 80,000.

She was the victim of a shock phone call on Monday.

Now she wants to warn others.

Wiedenzhausen – On Saturday she read in the newspaper about a so-called shock call in which fraudsters robbed a pensioner of his savings.

"I said it couldn't happen to me," says the sprightly 88-year-old pensioner from Wiedenzhausen, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Two days later, she hands over 80,000 euros in cash to a scammer.

Shock calls: Pensioner (88) hands over 80,000 euros in cash to scammers

On Monday around 12.30 p.m. the phone rang at her house.

A woman says the 88-year-old's daughter was involved in a serious traffic accident that killed a woman.

Then the phone is supposedly handed over to the daughter.

She sobs: "Mom, I killed a woman!"

In her excitement, the pensioner doesn't notice that it's not her daughter's voice on the phone.

Then the woman, an alleged policewoman, takes over again.

She explains that her daughter is being questioned by the police and is now being held in custody in Augsburg – unless the mother pays 61,000 euros.

"I was in such shock, and what don't you do for your child!" Said the 88-year-old.

The scammers – a man is now also on the phone – doesn’t give the pensioner any time to think.

"They always told me to stay tuned, even if they had to put the phone down for a moment," recalls the woman from Wiedenzhausen.

"And they threatened me that I would be sworn to secrecy, the penalty is 10,000 euros if I tell anyone about it." Then her supposed daughter came to the phone again: "Mama, I mog hoam," she sobbed.

The mother promised to do everything she can for her.

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Lousy rip-off on the phone: the scammers don't give the pensioner any time to think

"After a break, the wrong policewoman then explained to me that the 32-year-old woman who killed my daughter had two small children and was pregnant, so the sum increases by 55,000 euros," reports the Wiedenzhauserin.

She explained that she didn't have that much at home.

The scammers ask for valuables, money in the bank, a safe deposit box.

"I got suspicious and asked if they wanted to rip me off." She hung up in between, three times in total.

But the scammers keep calling back.

Described that the daughter had to vomit and was therefore being examined by a doctor.

"And they persistently asked for more money," said the 88-year-old.

She pauses, can't believe what happened to her.

"But for a child, you give everything, including your life!" Finally, it is said that a Mr. Weiss, her daughter's alleged lawyer, is collecting the money.

Pensioner hands over years of savings to scammers after shock phone call

He comes at 1:37 p.m.

The pensioner knows it so well because her neighbor's surveillance camera took pictures of the man.

The man on the phone tells her to put the money in a bag that you can't see through.

She goes to the door, the messenger introduces himself as "Mr. White", takes the bag and disappears.

The money – 80,000 euros – is cash that the 88-year-old has saved 10 euros over tens of years.

"I wanted to give the money to the children."

The scammers want more money.

You tell the pensioner to go to the bank.

The pensioner drives off at 3:30 p.m.

There she wants to withdraw 40,000 euros under a pretext.

The bank employees hesitate, try to reach their daughter - in vain.

They warn the 88-year-old and tell her that so much money has to be ordered.

She is supposed to come back with her daughter the next day.

The woman from Wiedenzhausen drives again.

Suddenly the daughter comes, she whistles, as always – the pensioner realizes: "You tricked me"

No one is on the phone at home, they hung up.

She is waiting.

Then her daughter comes, whistles in the garden, as always.

"I went out and touched her and hugged her." The daughter is surprised and asks: "Why are you looking at me like that, mom?" And immediately the mom realized: "You tricked me."

Your shame is huge.

Nevertheless, it is important to her to warn others.

"I hope it doesn't get to the point where someone falls for it like I did!" The 88-year-old would like to "advise everyone not to make the mistake I made." She advises hanging up immediately.

"If you just listen to it for a moment, your brain switches off."

She herself does not understand how it could have happened that she lost her savings.

"I have a feeling it's a bad dream." A year ago, she spotted a grandchild scam in good time and hung up.

And now this. "I don't understand myself."

Scammers wanted: police are asking for information

The perpetrator when he picked up the money.

The image comes from the video of a surveillance camera in the neighborhood.

© private

Search for criminals in Wiedenzhausen

Photos are hung up in Wiedenzhausen that are being used to search for the perpetrator who picked up the money.

He walked to the victim's front door.

He probably parked nearby on Rosenstrasse, Rohrbachstrasse, or Dorfstrasse, or got into a car.

Based on the surveillance camera footage, the man is described as: middle-aged, of normal build, dark hair, dark jacket or jacket, mid-blue jeans, white sneakers, black shoulder bag.

In the street of the victim he wore a face mask.

Notes to the police (0 81 31/56 10).

You can find more current news from the district of Dachau at Merkur.de/Dachau.