These crimes took place between 15 September and 16 October 2014 in Kamienna Góra, Leśna, Kożuchów, Lubań, as well as in Dąbie and Poznań.
In each case, the perpetrators telephoned the victims, posing as their grandchildren, and asked them to hand over amounts ranging from PLN 20,000 to PLN 61,000. During the conversations, they claimed that they had caused a road accident in which the victims had sustained bodily injuries. They persuaded the victims that they had to give the money to police officers; otherwise, they would go to prison. Each time, the unsuspecting victims handed over the requested amounts to the scammers. Over the course of one month, the perpetrators defrauded their victims of a total of PLN 103,000.
On 15 October 2014, one of the scammers was arrested in the act while attempting to defraud a resident of Lubań. Grzegorz P. posed as her nephew and asked her to hand over her savings, claiming that he had caused a road accident and needed money. However, the victim did not believe him and informed the police of her suspicions. The following day, police officers also arrested the second perpetrator in Kożuchów.
The offences with which the scammers are charged carry a penalty of between six months and eight years’ imprisonment. The aforementioned men have no previous criminal convictions.