The police take a fraudster trio after a failed raid on a senior citizen

The police take a fraudster trio after a failed raid on a senior citizen

tricksters have struck again-this time in Hamburg-Athmarschen, where a trio tried to bring an 85-year-old woman by 30,000 euros. The crime occurred on July 15, 2025, when the crooks exposed themselves as bank employees and the lady pretended that there were suspicious account movements on their account. In order to "secure" their money, they demanded the handover of 30,000 euros, which the senior woman did before she became skeptical and the police alerted. This reacted quickly and discovered a suspicious blue VW Golf in Bernadottestestrasse.

Thanks to the quick action of the emergency services, two men, 33 and 27 years old, were arrested. In the vehicle, the officials not only found the captured money, but also other evidence. A third suspect, a 19-year-old Kosovare, was caught at the woman's address when he tried again to contact her and request another 30,000 euros. All three fraudsters were taken into custody after arrest warrants were issued. The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has taken over the investigation and checks whether there are similar acts that are connected with this case.

The stitch of the fraudsters

The perpetrator's procedure is not new, but remains highly alarming. Again and again, fraudsters as police officers or bank employees spend their own money. The Hamburg police have long been warning of such procedures. In the Hamburg mile, officials clarified older citizens on Wednesday about the tricks of the crooks. In the first half of 2024, damage of over 1.2 million euros caused by similar fraud attempts ndr.de.

A particularly worrying development is also evident in the statistics: fraud against older people increases globally dramatically. From January to May 2024, losses of $ 1.6 billion were recorded in the USA. In 2023, the fraud cases among seniors rose by 14 % vpnranks.com. In addition, the average loss per victim with $ 33,915 is enormous. Authorities and experts advise you to put up immediately in the event of bad feelings and take every suspicion seriously.

protection against fraud

Frauke Hannes vom LKA advises not to be ashamed if you become the victim of a fraud, but to show courage and to file a complaint. It is crucial to take your own security and those seriously from others, especially when dealing with older family members. The Hamburg police offer extensive information and behavioral tips on the subject of fraud on its homepage. Education and sensitization are the key to protecting older people from such perfidious machinations [bild.de] (https://www.bild.de/regional/hamburg-polizei-fast-trickbetrio-in-othmarschen-6877bdbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb6