Police officers from Bolesławiec and Zgorzelec arrested two men, aged 19 and 20, who extorted money using the so-called “grandchild” method. The men are residents of Zgorzelec County. They were arrested at their homes after attempting to extort PLN 20,000 from an elderly resident of Bolesławiec County. The men face up to 8 years in prison.
Officers from Bolesławiec established that the group of fraudsters to which the arrested men belonged operated, among other places, in northern Poland and several counties of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship—Bolesławiec, Lubań and Zgorzelec. Elderly people were targeted in the scheme. The group began operating at the end of March this year. The perpetrators first called a selected elderly person. During the conversation, they pretended to be a grandchild or nephew and asked to borrow money to pay compensation for causing a road accident. The caller warned that he could not collect the money in person. He said that an acquaintance would collect the agreed amount on his behalf. The fraudsters then arrived at the victim’s home and took the money. Police determined that at least six such frauds may have occurred.
Police appeal to people to call the emergency number 997 in all suspicious situations, providing as many remembered details as possible, such as the appearance of the stranger, the number and make of the vehicle they may have arrived in, and, in the case of a telephone call, the caller’s phone number and the date and time of the conversation.
(information: KPP Bolesławiec/ii)