A woman from Bolesławiec answered the phone and heard: Your daughter has had a fatal accident!

This is how a conversation with fraudsters began in one of the homes in Bolesławiec on June 30, 2020. Although the household members had heard police warnings in the media about this method of extorting money, and although they themselves had warned acquaintances about such fraudsters, they began gathering their life savings to save their child—and only a coincidence saved them from suffering a loss.

When the older woman answered the phone and heard such terrible news, knowing that her daughter was at home, she automatically thought of her adult granddaughter, who had left for Warsaw with her husband that same day. The tragic story began to take shape in the minds of both women: the daughter—the older woman’s granddaughter—had been in an accident on the way.

During the telephone conversation, the women learned that the Warsaw prosecutor’s office was contacting them and that the daughter was unharmed because she was the perpetrator of a fatal collision. For a moment, they felt relieved. However, moments later they learned that the woman faced prison. To avoid it, 170,000 zlotys were needed to pay a settlement with the injured family. The money had to be gathered as quickly as possible and handed over to a plainclothes police officer.

The alleged daughter was even asked to come to the phone and, through tears, uttered a few incomprehensible words. It was the women who told the fraudsters the details: that the daughter and her husband had set off on a journey. The fraudsters cleverly used this information and incorporated it into their story, saying that the daughter and her husband would be questioned and that they could not contact them. The alleged injured party’s father was lured out of the house by the fraudsters. He was told to go to Legnica, where he was to report to the local prosecutor’s office.

The fraudsters acted so skillfully, building the tension step by step and manipulating the victims so effectively, that no one questioned their instructions or asked questions. None of the people being deceived thought to call the daughter—the granddaughter—and her husband despite the prohibitions and information given over the phone.

The father left for Legnica, and while on the way, someone called the number he had provided, checking where he was and whether he was already reaching the prosecutor’s office. At the same time, a female fraudster called the landline, urging the women to arrange the money for the settlement.

The 170,000 zlotys was an enormous sum for the family, and it was not easy for them to raise it. When they told the fraudster who was urging them on about this during another conversation, she reacted harshly. She threatened that if they did not hurry, the daughter—the granddaughter—would go to prison.

Only time saved the family from being robbed. Gathering the money was taking too long for the fraudsters. When they were told that the money was at another house, they gave up and did not call again. The matter was reported to the police.

Most remarkably, when the real daughter unexpectedly called her parents from the road, they did not believe at first that nothing had happened to her. The fraudsters had deceived them so thoroughly. The daughter and her husband had to spend a long time convincing the frightened parents and grandmother that they were returning home safely.

We are reporting this information to emphasize the mechanism used by fraudsters. At first, they deliver terrifying news suggesting that a close relative has died: “Your daughter has had a fatal accident.” When emotions reach a peak, they explain that the person was merely responsible for a fatal accident and must be saved from prison. They add that they are calling from the prosecutor’s office and that money must be gathered for a settlement; they keep calling so that the victims have no time to think, urge them to hurry, and cleverly use information provided by the victims to make their story seem credible. They manipulate people so effectively that they can cause some household members to leave suddenly. We also remind you that this story happened to people who had heard media warnings about this type of fraud.