Overview
- Police recorded a cluster of related scams between Friday and Sunday that mainly targeted older people and prompted multiple regional press warnings.
- In Bischberg a woman was told a relative had caused a serious accident and handed over cash and jewelry worth more than €10,000 to a man who then fled.
- South Thuringia investigators reported several shock calls with one victim giving an unknown man roughly €30,000 in valuables and the Dortmunder Polizei said false officers gained access to an 85‑year‑old’s flat and stole her EC card plus a four‑figure sum.
- In Würzburg fake fundraisers at a supermarket led to an EC‑card charge of about €1,500 and an influencer reported a Rossmann empathy scam where paid goods were later swapped and the money kept.
- Regional forces are actively investigating, publishing suspect descriptions and urging seniors to hang up on suspicious calls, refuse to hand over cash or cards, verify officials independently and report sightings or further victims to police.