Criminals using the “grandchild” or “police officer” methods continue to scam people, mainly older adults. They extort money, which often constitutes seniors’ entire savings. Let us not remain indifferent and warn our relatives that people impersonating family members or police officers may call them.

Let us remember that the principle of “limited trust” toward strangers applies not only to children. Adults often forget about it, becoming victims of their own gullibility and lack of caution. Unexpected calls from people claiming to be police officers, or from long-unseen grandchildren, nieces or cousins, do not have to end in financial disaster if we follow two basic rules:

  • A police officer will never call to inform you about an ongoing operation.
  • The police will never ask you to give money to someone, transfer it to an account, or leave it somewhere!

Do not let yourselves be scammed! Discuss unusual situations that happen to us with other family members, and report any suspicious requests to borrow money to the Police.

Precisely out of concern for the safety of older people, in addition to various preventive and informational activities, as well as operational activities, an educational and preventive film was produced this year by the ProPublika Foundation in cooperation with the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław. The initiative was carried out as part of a project co-financed by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. The project received funding from the Government Programme for Social Activity of Older People for 2014–2020.

The material is based on authentic conversations between criminals and their victims. It exposes the actions of criminals who extort money by impersonating family members or Police officers. The film also shows the criminals’ operating patterns, the methods they use and the weaknesses they exploit.
Police officers appeal to seniors to exercise common sense and caution in contacts with people whose good intentions toward us we cannot be completely certain of, and, as a warning, encourage them to watch the film material presented below.

Press Section of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław