Concerned about the safety of residents of our county, Lubin police officers once again want to draw attention to one of the most popular methods used by perpetrators of crimes against elderly people: the “grandson” method.
Recently, two such incidents occurred in our county. In one case, a fraudster attempted to extort more than PLN 20,000, but a 74-year-old resident of Lubin realized whom she was dealing with. Unfortunately, the second attempt was successful, and the supposed grandson received nearly PLN 20,000 from a 76-year-old woman. This time, the perpetrator told the elderly woman that he had been involved in an accident and that, to avoid liability, he had to pay the police such a large sum. Another person then called the victims, claiming to be a police officer and confirming that the accident had indeed occurred.
The officers remind everyone that the “grandson” method usually involves a young person calling an elderly individual, claiming to be their grandson or another family member, and saying: “Grandma, Grandpa, I need money.” The perpetrator usually explains the change in voice by claiming to have a cold, while justifying the request by citing an urgent, sudden need.
Fraudsters conduct the conversation in a specific way so that the potential victim works out and “guesses” whom they are speaking to. This enables the fraudsters to extort a substantial sum of money from their victim.
At the end, the caller usually explains to the victim that they cannot come to collect the money themselves and will send a good friend to pick it up. That “good friend” is most often the caller themselves.
The simplest way to verify the caller is to call the family member they claim to be using that person’s known telephone number. Perpetrators who use this method often operate in organized groups. First, they identify potential victims, most often selecting elderly people who live alone. They frequently use information from telephone directories, looking for names that are uncommon today.
In the event of any suspicions, and especially in the event of fraud, the police should be informed immediately by calling 997, as a prompt police intervention may allow the perpetrators to be quickly apprehended.
The officers also remind everyone that information obtained from the victim is very helpful in their work. As many details as possible describing the perpetrator should be remembered, such as their appearance, the registration number and make of any car they may have arrived in, and, in the case of a telephone call, the number shown on the phone’s display or the date and time of the conversation.
Let us not lose our vigilance. We should continue talking to our parents and grandparents. Let us inform them about fraudsters’ methods. We should warn them never to hand money to strangers or let them into their homes. In a genuine emergency, there will always be someone we know—a family member—who can help us.
In such a situation, we can always turn to the police for help. Let us not believe everything we hear over the phone, because fraudsters play on our emotions in order to make us lower our guard.
KPP Lubin/ii