This is probably a positive effect of information campaigns conducted by the police. – However, we still record cases of this type of crime in which elderly people fall victim to fraud – police officers say. – Let us remember that we never know when scammers will attack, which is why the police appeal for caution, the principle of limited trust, and for families and friends to look after their loved ones and elderly people living alone in the neighbourhood. Thanks to vigilance and knowledge of criminals’ methods, seniors can avoid losing their savings.

Not only in recent days in Wrocław have scammers tried to extort money from elderly people by pretending to be a family member and then, to make the story seem credible, also a police officer. The perpetrators claimed that they had been involved in an accident and needed financial help. The supposed police officer confirmed that the family member faced imprisonment if the money was not handed over. In most of these cases, elderly people were not deceived. Many similar attempts by scammers, which ended in failure, also took place in other counties of Lower Silesia and regions of the country. Unfortunately, there are still cases in which less vigilant victims lose considerable amounts of cash under similar circumstances.

The police remind us that officers from the Criminal Department of the District Police Headquarters in Oleśnica, working with police officers from Łódź, arrested a man suspected of precisely such fraud against elderly people. The detainee is a 30-year-old resident of the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The suspect has been remanded in custody.

Police officers from Legnica also arrested a man who defrauded elderly people by pretending to be a police officer. He too has been remanded in custody. In Wrocław, meanwhile, police officers arrested a man who defrauded and robbed elderly people while pretending to be… a plumber. Two men suspected of fraud against elderly people were also arrested by police officers from Wałbrzych, who worked on the case with officers from Lublin.

Despite the arrests, more scammers continue to appear. During telephone calls, they pretend to be a close family member, such as a grandchild, nephew, cousin or sister’s/brother’s child, or a family member of friends, neighbours or acquaintances. They invent a story and ask for money, for example to cover hospital treatment costs or to make an attractive purchase of a car or flat. They usually ask the person not to tell anyone about the call because they are ashamed that they have to borrow money. They always send an accomplice to collect it, who picks up the cash at an agreed place and time. When an elderly person agrees to provide a loan, they explain that they cannot collect the money personally and that someone they trust will do it for them. They wait patiently if the cash is to be withdrawn from a bank. The victim realises that they have been defrauded only when they contact, for example, the real relative.

To make a stronger impression, scammers have also increasingly been impersonating an official or a representative of an organisation or institution. They also convince elderly people that they are officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation or police officers, and that the money is needed to “get” a family member “out of trouble”. Or they claim that they are investigating fraud and extortion. – Let us be cautious and not trust such calls! – officers from the Provincial Police Headquarters emphasise. – Let us remember that real police officers NEVER provide information about their cases by telephone and never ask for money to be handed over to an unknown person. They will NEVER ask us to commit our money to any operation!

These situations may happen to our loved ones or neighbours. That is why it is essential to increase family and neighbourhood vigilance in order to improve the safety of elderly people living alone:

  • let us react when we see or receive signals that someone suspicious is “hanging around” near our relative, neighbour or their home
  • let us remember as many details as possible about the appearance and behaviour of a person who arouses concern
  • let us write down the registration number of the vehicle used by such a person. Let us share our knowledge of the perpetrators’ methods with those most at risk—seniors. Let us warn them before it is too late.

Out of concern for your safety, the police appeal to you not to give any money to people who claim by telephone to be members of your family or ask you to transfer money through intermediaries.

Let us not react hastily to the words “son, grandchild or niece needs help” as soon as we hear a voice on the phone. We should check whether this is a real relative, for example by contacting other family members.

Close relatives with whom we are in daily contact can help confirm that this is the person they claim to be and that they really need the help they are requesting. Let us remember that we can also verify the caller ourselves. It is worth calling those people directly and checking. In most cases, we have the telephone number of our son, daughter or grandchild. Let us not be afraid to call them and establish whether the situation described is real. It is better to make one extra phone call than to lose our savings and hand them over to criminals.

In view of the above, we recommend applying the principle of limited trust towards strangers—it is better to appear suspicious than to lose the work of a lifetime. Let us also remember not to provide any information by telephone concerning personal data, bank account numbers or passwords. Let us not tell strangers about our life plans or family members.

Report all attempts to extort money to the police immediately by calling the emergency number 997 or 112. Do not be afraid that the alarm may turn out to be false. Let us work together to protect our safety!

KWP we Wrocławiu/ig/ii