It is uncertain whether a 59-year-old from Donaueschingen will ever see her money again. According to the police, the woman fell victim to a scam that is now widespread via the WhatsApp messenger service.
She received a text from someone claiming to be her daughter on Thursday, June 2nd. The alleged daughter claimed that she had a new number and asked for two four-digit amounts of money to be transferred to the bank details provided.
Helping her daughter in good faith, the 59-year-old transferred part of the requested amount of money. The police do not yet know whether the transfer could be reversed by the bank.
Police warn of scams
In this context, the police warns and draws attention to the recent scam in which fake WhatsApp messages are sent: the alleged victim receives a message from an unknown number. The person who wrote the message pretended to be the victim’s son or daughter and pretended that the phone was lost or broken.
But since important transfers have to be made, and this is not possible with the allegedly new mobile phone, the victim is asked to make the transfer. The money then ends up in the hands of fraudsters due to incorrect account data. The police strongly advise not to react to such messages and to contact your son or daughter directly via the known number.
