– More and more people are aware of how fraudsters operate and how not to become their victims – reports Senior Constable Katarzyna Baniewska of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Legnica. – One method they frequently use is the so-called “police officer” scam. The perpetrators exploit the trust that especially older members of society place in police officers and extort money from elderly people.

An 80-year-old resident of Legnica found this out the hard way when a man claiming to be a police officer called him. The case concerned an accident that the senior’s son had supposedly caused—hitting a pregnant woman at a pedestrian crossing.

The fake police officer informed his victim that the court demanded PLN 170,000 bail in exchange for refraining from arresting the perpetrator. The criminals were so devious that during the call the senior heard the voice of his “son” crying in the background.

The 80-year-old arranged to meet the fake police officer. The man visited the senior three times. On the third visit, the elderly man handed PLN 170,000 to the fraudster.

Afterward, the Legnica resident went to his other son to tell him about the situation his brother had gotten into. That was when he realized he had been defrauded.

How can you avoid becoming a fraud victim?

  • Above all, remain cautious—if someone calls claiming to be a member of our family and asks for money, do not take any rash action.
  • Do not tell anyone by phone how much money we have at home or keep in our account. Do not withdraw all our savings from the bank.
  • Call someone in the family and ask whether the person who asked us for help really needs it. Remember that no one will blame us for acting sensibly. Do not give in to the time pressure applied by fraudsters.
  • In particular, remember that police officers NEVER provide information by phone about cases they are investigating! They also never ask us to hand money over to an unknown person.
  • If someone tries to defraud us by claiming over the phone to be a police officer, end the call! Do not engage in conversation with the fraudster. If we do not know how to react, tell someone close to us about the suspicious call.

Officers:

We appeal especially to young people—inform your parents and grandparents that there are people who may try to exploit their kindness. Tell them how to behave if someone calls asking to borrow a large amount of money. Draw the attention of older people living alone, whom you know, to the danger.

Ordinary caution can protect them from losing savings accumulated over many years.