An elderly woman reported to the police that she had been scammed. Earlier, she received a call from a man who pretended to be her daughter’s lawyer. She heard that her daughter had an accident and needed money for treatment and patronage. She believed, just like two residents of Płock.
Despite warnings from officers and numerous publications in the media, older people still fall victim to “grandchild” scams. This time, a 74-year-old woman from Białobrzegi County lost her savings.
According to the police, her landline number was called by a man claiming to be her daughter’s lawyer. – After a while of conversation, he handed the phone over to a crying woman who introduced herself as her daughter – says Asp. Joanna Golus, spokeswoman of the District Headquarters in Białobrzegi.
The woman “got carried away by emotions” and believed a couple of fraudsters that her daughter had an accident and needed money for a lawyer and medical expenses. “A man came to the senior woman and gave her PLN 93,900,” says the policewoman.
Accidents of “sons” and “bails”
Fraudsters in Płock operated in an almost identical way.
An 81-year-old resident received a call from a man who introduced himself as his son. He announced that he had hit a pregnant woman who was in a serious condition and had to pay bail to avoid being arrested. The 81-year-old said he had PLN 30,000 at home. Following the instructions, he handed over the money to a woman who came to the gate of his property and introduced herself as a court courier. Only afterward did he become suspicious and contacted his family. But it was too late.
An 87-year-old resident of Płock also fell victim to fraudsters and donated PLN 22,000. He was called by a man pretending to be a policeman who informed him that his son had an accident and he needed money to avoid going to prison. The 87-year-old told how much he had in savings and handed them over to the man who came to his apartment. He also found out that there was no accident and that he had been deceived only during a conversation with his family.
Police warn against “grandson” and “policeman” scams KRP V
The police don’t ask for money
The police warn that “the fraudsters’ actions are ruthless, they skillfully manipulate the conversation to obtain as much information as possible and take advantage of older people (…), the fraudsters pose as police officers, daughters, sons or grandsons.”
– In the case of ‘policeman’ scams, remember that officers never inform about their cases by phone! They never ask for money, reminds Asp. Joanna Golus.
– We also appeal to caregivers of the elderly – let’s inform our parents and grandparents about this practice. Let’s warn against people who may want to take advantage of their kindness and trust – emphasizes the policewoman.
Main photo source: maoyunping/Shutterstock