The incident took place last week in Lubin. An 87-year-old resident of the city reported to police that an unknown woman, who introduced herself during a telephone conversation as a police officer from the local unit, told him that his money in the bank was at risk and had been secured by the police.
Asp. szt. Sylwia Serafin, press officer of the District Police Headquarters in Lubin:
The female scammer told the man to go to the bank and withdraw PLN 40,000 in cash. Guided by the perpetrator throughout, the victim withdrew PLN 40,000 at the bank and then handed the money to an unknown man outside his home.
Investigators established that the senior citizen—at the scammers’ urging—lied to the bank teller, telling her that he was withdrawing the money for his granddaughter, who had bought an apartment.
The 87-year-old was so caught up in the situation that he wanted to bring the money to the police station himself. The perpetrators then told him that doing so would ruin the entire operation.
Police:
Scammers who use these methods are ruthless and have no scruples whatsoever. They most often rob elderly people who live alone.
We appeal to the grandchildren, children and neighbors of elderly people to warn them about such crimes, as well as to seniors themselves. Often, avoiding such a threat requires nothing more than remembering ordinary safety precautions.
Officers add:
Let us remember that uniformed officers never ask people to take out loans as part of assistance with operational activities! No officer may demand or accept money for handling a case. Officers also do not “secure” money kept at home or in a bank account.
A genuine police officer cannot tell anyone to throw money out of a window or balcony, or leave it in an agreed location.
Let us recall: fraud is punishable by between six months and as many as eight years in prison.