– Hello. Grandma?
– Is that you, Marek?
– Yes, Grandma, it’s me. You know, Grandma, I’m in very serious trouble and urgently need PLN 20,000, which I’ll pay you back tomorrow...
This is how scammers most often begin conversations when impersonating family members and extorting money.
On April 23, officers of the County Police Headquarters in Zgorzelec received further reports of fraud and attempted fraud using the “grandchild” method. A man called residents of Zgorzelec, posing as a friend of their son, and urgently asked for money because the latter had allegedly caused an accident. He was supposedly going to send a colleague to collect the money.
One person acted with exceptional vigilance: she checked with her relatives whether a family member really needed financial assistance. Unfortunately, one resident of Zgorzelec was defrauded of... over PLN 30,000.
The police remind us: scammers prey on human naivety. Let us exercise particular caution. Let us look after our loved ones, especially elderly people, and warn them about this type of behavior. It is enough to follow a few basic safety rules. Do not provide any information over the phone about our home or savings. Do not say when we are at home or who we live with. Do not hand over cash or any other items to strangers. Do not let such people into your home. One phone call to a relative is enough to confirm whether a family member really needs financial assistance.