An 82-year-old resident of Zgorzelec County received a call on her landline from a woman claiming to be her daughter. The caller informed the senior citizen that she had allegedly been involved in an accident together with her son, as a result of which a woman who had been hit was fighting for her life.

Wanting to make sure whom she was speaking to, the senior citizen asked the caller whether she was her daughter and whether she was with her son. The woman confirmed this. When asked about her changed voice, she replied that she had a broken nose. This explanation made the 82-year-old believe that she was indeed speaking to her daughter. The fraudster then told the senior citizen that PLN 160,000 was needed so that she could remain at liberty while answering for the incident.

The woman said that she did not have that amount. She explained that she had PLN 45,000 in savings at home and PLN 2,500 from her current pension. The fake daughter stated that this amount would be sufficient for the time being.

A moment later, the senior citizen heard that a prosecutor would come to collect the money. The fraudster instructed her not to ask him any questions, to hand over the prepared cash and to wait for further decisions by the police and prosecutor’s office.

The 82-year-old remained on the line with the woman claiming to be her daughter the entire time. At one point, a man knocked on the door and said only: “It’s me.” The senior citizen, convinced that she was handing the money to a person indicated by her daughter, gave him her savings without asking any additional questions.

After handing over the money, the 82-year-old spoke with the fraudster on the phone for a while longer. After a few minutes, she heard that the money had “arrived,” and then the call was disconnected.

Only then did the senior citizen decide to call her real daughter. Her daughter told her that she had not been involved in any accident and had not asked for any money to be handed over. The 82-year-old then realized that she had fallen victim to a scam.

Let us remember that scammers primarily exploit emotions, fear and time pressure. They present a dramatic story intended to trigger strong emotions in a potential victim and prevent a rational assessment of the situation.

We remind you that neither a police officer nor a prosecutor demands that money be handed over in connection with an alleged accident or to avoid arrest.

If someone informs us by phone about a family member’s accident and demands money:

  • stay calm and do not make hasty decisions;
  • do not hand money over to strangers;
  • do not provide information by phone about your savings, bank accounts or other financial details;
  • end the conversation and contact your loved one yourself using a phone number you know;
  • if the caller claims to be a police officer, prosecutor or another person connected with the services, verify this information by calling the relevant institution directly;
  • do not trust someone who comes to your home to collect money, even if the person on the phone assures you that they are a police officer, prosecutor, lawyer or another authorized person;
  • if you have any doubts, call the emergency number 112 and inform the police about the suspicious situation.

We also appeal to families and caregivers of older people. Talk to senior citizens about scammers’ methods. It is worth establishing a simple rule: if someone asks by phone for money or for cash to be handed over in connection with a sudden event, end the conversation and contact the family directly.

Let us remember that scammers can very convincingly imitate the voice of a loved one, provide their personal details and create a story that sounds extremely convincing. The mere fact that the caller knows a family member’s name or can answer a seemingly verifying question does not mean that they really are the person they claim to be.

Do not give scammers a chance. Stop, verify and only then make a decision. One brief conversation with a real family member can protect our savings.

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