Germany police warn of surge in telephone fraud and shock calls

Police across several German regions are warning of a surge in sophisticated telephone fraud and “shock calls” targeting elderly citizens. In the Saarlouis and St. Wendel districts, scammers successfully stole over 80,000 euros from three men aged 73 to 87 by impersonating relatives or police officers and claiming a family member was involved in a fatal accident requiring immediate bail.

Similar tactics were reported in Celle, where a 76-year-old woman was defrauded of 70,000 euros after criminals posed as police officers claiming her son was in custody. In Thuringia, scammers used different methods, including impersonating doctors to demand money for urgent medical treatments in Erfurt and posing as bank employees in Weimar to gain unauthorized access to online banking accounts.

Authorities urge the public to hang up immediately if callers demand money, jewelry, or valuables, noting that official police or medical institutions will never request such payments via telephone.