What do telephone scammers look like?
A ZDF journalist plays the game of a scammer and then shares the chat history.
Munich - Tricksters who target naive, often older people - they come in many colors.
The ZDF journalist Nicole Diekmann, otherwise responsible for the public service, especially with AfD and digital, was written to by such a scammer.
She took the opportunity and supposedly got involved in the criminal's game - and then posted the entire chat history on Twitter.
It all starts with an SMS: In a message, a supposed son or daughter wrote the admittedly rather transparent text “Hello mom/dad, my cell phone is broken, can you send me a message on WhatsApp.
Don't forget to save my number.
Thanks!” Diekmann follows promptly and in two videos of her chat history (which she calls “grandchildren trickster”), which have been clicked more than 300,000 and 180,000 times (as of February 1, 2023, 6:46 p.m.), you can next read how worried she was Mother outputs: "Hello, what happened?
Do you need help?
Best wishes, Mom.” The other person tells of a dropped mobile phone, which is why he or she uses his old one.
Luckily he is insured.
And now?
Diekmann knows what to do and says that one of the offspring's old cell phones is still lying around.
My communication with grandson trickster so far.
Have fun and enjoy yourself.
(I've been sitting around waiting a lot the past few days with nothing else to do.) pic.twitter.com/T0StDBNQx1
— Nicole Diekmann (@nicolediekmann) January 30, 2023
This is followed by a brief "thank you", but then it goes to the presumed reason for the communication: "I have to transfer two bills, but because the cell phone is broken, I can't (sic) get to the files." Now he or she wants to the one who sends the bill to "Mama".
After a bit of purification, "Mama" finally agrees and receives a screenshot - with a bill for 2000 euros.
He also sends the account data, but then deletes it again.
According to the interlocutor, the newly acquired items are a “new laptop and a new cell phone”.
Diekmann makes up a story: "We just gave you a new laptop for your birthday", but the con artist can also make up: "Something happened to it" and "It can't be repaired".
Diekmann refines the "offspring",
Here comes the continuation of the dialogue with the grandson trickster.
Spoilers: He got VERY angry when it became clear that I am NOT sending him any money.
pic.twitter.com/kyRW8GyM8K
— Nicole Diekmann (@nicolediekmann) January 31, 2023
"Mama" wants to continue the discussion, but the discussion is probably too exhausting for the scammer.
Instead, he comes back to the bill.
A MacBook Pro and an iPhone 14 Max are said to be paid for, although the old phone is still lying around.
Diekmann swings the moral club again: "We didn't bring you up that way." The "mother" worries about the "offspring" and grills him: "Are you doing crooked things?" and "Did you buy drugs?", which he denies .
After an unsuccessful call attempt by the other party, Diekmann also tries a call, but nothing works.
Diekmann, as "mom", still needs some clarification, but slowly it is really getting too stressful for the con artist: "So many questions," he says, and: "Don't you trust me?" And finally he gives up: "I'll take care of it about my own problems.”
ZDF journalist pretends to be a naive mother - and then dissolves the game
Now the time has come for Diekmann to break up the charade: "It's best to find a decent way to make money first.
Don't try to scam people." The other person responded: "I know you played along.
I'm not an a**h.
That's my job.” Followed by a threat: “I won't leave you alone anymore, Nicole Diekmann.” Apparently the scammer knows exactly who he or she is writing to.
Diekmann shows him that she has saved the account data as a screenshot, but according to the person opposite, these are "fake".
The chat ends with foul language towards the journalist, who tweeted, "He got very angry when it became clear I wasn't sending him any money."
The Twitter community laughs with Diekmann about the grandmotherly tone of her role, but also asks her why she doesn't take action against the scammer.
According to Diekmann, "there is no criminal offence," which one commentator counters with that of attempted fraud.
Either way, the chat history always serves as a cautionary tale.
WhatsApp scammers have also bitten their teeth on a pensioner from Assenhausen near Dachau.
(cgsc)