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March 21, 2022, 11:16 p.m.
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Kiel (ots) –
Against the background of increasing numbers of cases across the country, the Schleswig-Holstein State Criminal Police Office (LKA) warns of a variant of the “grandchild trick” scam in which the perpetrators use the WhatsApp messenger service. The false grandchildren or alleged relatives inform the victims via WhatsApp message from an unknown number that their own smartphone is defective or lost and that they urgently need money. The invented scenarios around the supposed emergency vary and range from bills that have to be paid quickly to problems with online banking. Several thousand euros are often required.
“Hello mom, my old cell phone is broken, here is my new number. I don’t have online banking yet and urgently need to pay a bill, can you do that for me?” Many of the chat histories formulated with fraudulent intent begin like this or something similar. Emojis and a confidential tone suggest a close relationship, even if no names are mentioned and often only “Your son” or “Your granddaughter” is under the texts – combined with the request to delete the old, supposedly no longer valid number. This is to prevent the victims from contacting their family members using their real numbers.
As a rule, the unknown fraudsters ask their “relatives” to transfer up to four-digit amounts of money to accounts of relevant online banks – due to the “urgency of the time” by real-time transfer. This means that the money is lost and there is no chance of it being returned later. Alternatively, the perpetrators use fabricated stories and/or clever questions to try to obtain information that ultimately gives them access to the victim’s online banking or WhatsApp account.
In addition to a large number of attempted crimes, in which the potential victims fortunately reacted correctly and made direct contact with their son or granddaughter via the “old” number, there have also been a number of completed crimes across the country in the past three months. Out of 123 cases known to the police, the fraudsters were successful in 42 cases. This resulted in damage totaling 113,040 euros. In the case of this fraud phenomenon, a high number of unreported cases can also be assumed, since many attempted acts are probably not reported at all, but the recipients simply delete the message.
The LKA warns against responding to money claims sent anonymously by alleged relatives via messenger service or disclosing information. The easiest way to verify the authenticity of the contact is to call or meet the person named in person. Under no circumstances should you delete the “old” contact, as demanded by the scammers. In order to protect yourself from such messages, you should not publish your cell phone number on the Internet and only make profile photos visible to your own (real) contacts.
Questions please contact:
Schleswig-Holstein State Criminal Police Office
Carola Jeske
Phone: 0431/160-41119
E-Mail: [email protected]
Original content from: Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein transmitted by news aktuell
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