77-year-old man lost PLN 30,000, while a 77-year-old woman lost PLN 32,000 – scammers’ new methods – warning

At around 3:00 p.m., a man called the landline of an elderly couple from Lubin and said that he was a police officer from the local police headquarters. He then told the 77-year-old man that the police were investigating a case involving a dishonest bank employee and that the man’s money in his account was at risk. The scammer instructed the senior to withdraw cash from his bank account. To make things easier, he even ordered a taxi for him. What is significant in this case is that the criminal posing as a police officer asked the senior to verify his details by calling the emergency number 112 without disconnecting from his caller. As a result, the 77-year-old remained on the line with the scammer the entire time. The scammer changed his voice, introduced himself as another officer and falsely confirmed that a person with that name worked at the Lubin police headquarters.

The elderly man believed the story told by the fake police officer and went to bank branches to withdraw the money. The criminals remained on the line with the victim’s wife the entire time. When the senior returned home with the cash, the scammer told him that another police officer would arrive at their apartment shortly to collect the money, which would be marked as evidence in a crime. Fifteen minutes later, the elderly man handed PLN 30,000 in an envelope to a man who also introduced himself as a police officer.

However, the story did not end there. The caller asked the 77-year-old to go to the bank once again and withdraw all his savings. The victim did so. He took another taxi to the bank, where he withdrew a total of PLN 16,000. However, no one came to collect the money. After several hours, the man from Lubin reported the matter to the local police headquarters.

A similar situation occurred in Wołów. A man called the landline of a 77-year-old woman from the county. In this case, he claimed to be a police officer from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław. He told the woman that the money in her bank account was at risk because of a hacker attack. The scammer instructed her to go to a bank in Wrocław and withdraw the money from her account. The senior followed his instructions. She actually travelled to the capital of Lower Silesia and withdrew PLN 32,000 from the bank. She then handed the money to an unknown man at a previously agreed location. Only afterwards did she realise that she had fallen victim to fraud.

We continue to appeal for caution. Before taking any action, make sure that the person really is who they claim to be. If an alleged “police officer” calls us and talks about operations being conducted and the resulting need to withdraw money, do not believe what they say! Inform the police of your concerns and suspicions as soon as possible. Police officers never demand money, nor do they provide information by telephone about the details of ongoing investigations or operations.

REMEMBER:

Police officers NEVER accept cash!

Police officers NEVER ask you to hand over money or other valuables in order to catch criminals!

Police officers NEVER provide information by telephone about the actions they are carrying out.

Before opening the door:

• Look through the peephole or window and check who it is.
• If you do not know the visitor, ask the purpose of their visit, fasten the security chain (if you decide to open the door) and ask them to show identification or an official ID card. An honest person will not be discouraged by your caution and distrust. Check documents carefully.
• If in doubt, arrange another date, first checking with the housing estate administration or the relevant institution whether they sent an employee to our apartment. In addition, always check their ID cards. These two points must always be combined.
• If the visitor becomes pushy, call the police or alert people nearby. Try to remember as many details as possible, such as the stranger’s appearance and the registration numbers and make of the car in which they may have arrived.

If there are seniors in our family, let us not be afraid to talk to them about safety. Let us take care of them. Let us explain things, stay in regular telephone contact and visit them. Show them the videos prepared by the police to “force” them, in a way, to remain vigilant and cautious. It is better to check twice, ask twice and make sure twice than to lose one’s entire life savings.