Officers from the Wrocław-Śródmieście Police Station arrested a 44-year-old woman suspected of fraud. – The findings indicate that she used the “police officer” method. Unfortunately, these are recently very popular methods used by criminals who induce their victims to disadvantageously dispose of their property – reports Junior Asp. Aleksandra Pieprzycka from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław.
How do the criminals operate?
The 78-year-old victim went to the police after being defrauded. She reported that someone had called her from an unknown telephone number and introduced himself as a postal worker. He told her that he had a parcel for her and, at the same time, asked for the woman’s exact address.
She then received another call, this time from a person who introduced himself as an officer of the Central Police Investigation Bureau, informing her that an alleged gang of thieves was robbing bank accounts.
What tricks do they use?
Police spokesperson:
During the conversation, the fraudster suggested that the woman – to confirm the authenticity of the last caller – should not end the ongoing telephone call and should dial 112 on her keypad. This is a very popular “trick” used by criminals who specialize in defrauding seniors by telephone.
And she adds:
We therefore remind you that dialing 112 during an ongoing telephone conversation does not result in a connection to a genuine Emergency Notification Centre!
Unfortunately, the 78-year-old did as the fraudsters instructed and dialed the emergency number during the call. The phone was handed over to another woman, who impersonated a police officer and confirmed the details of the fake officer. The fraudsters then instructed the victim to go to the bank and withdraw her savings.
As is usually the case in such situations, the criminals also asked the senior woman to remain on the telephone with them throughout the journey to the bank. The officers:
This should also make us think, because at that point the fraudsters have complete control over the situation and prevent their victim from calling for genuine help.
The victim withdrew money from a fixed-term deposit and handed it over to the thieves. It amounted to more than 35,000 zlotys. When she realized that she had fallen victim to fraud, she immediately reported the matter to the police.
The officers immediately took up the case, and half of the money has already been recovered. Detectives from the station in Wrocław’s Śródmieście district also established the whereabouts of the 44-year-old woman to whose bank account the money had been transferred. The fraudster was arrested, and the court subsequently remanded her in custody for three months. She faces a prison sentence of between six months and as many as eight years.