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Police Issue Fresh Warnings as New Phone and Romance Scams Hit German Seniors

Police emphasize prevention, citing tactics from hospital impostors to courier pickups.

Overview

  • In Grünwald near Munich, an 80-year-old was duped by a caller posing as hospital staff into paying a five-figure sum for a supposed cancer drug, which a woman later collected at the victim’s home.
  • Vigilance averted losses in several cases, including a neighbor in Überherrn who halted a planned handover of about €90,000 and a 95-year-old in Gauting who quickly ended a fake police call.
  • In the Cham district, an 80-year-old lost a low six-figure amount over two years to a love-scam linked to Kyrgyzstan; the German consulate confirmed the fraud and Regensburg police are investigating.
  • Legal proceedings continue in Feldkirchen, where alleged courier Andrii D. faces trial after an 88-year-old surrendered roughly €350,000 in gold to scammers impersonating police, with the court questioning his claimed ignorance.
  • Authorities report renewed call sprees and urge people never to hand over money or valuables, stressing that real officials do not demand payments by phone; recent regional data show thousands of cases with multi-million-euro losses.