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Police Probe Series of Phone Scams That Stripped German Seniors of Gold and Cash

Investigators describe impostors posing as relatives or officials who arranged in-person handovers and netted six-figure sums.

Overview

  • Rheinland-Pfalz: A 77-year-old was duped by the grandchild trick and handed 50 gold coins worth about €125,000 to an unknown collector at the Amtsgericht Speyer after a caller posed as a prosecutor demanding bail.
  • Munich: An over-70s woman gave cash and gold coins worth a six‑figure amount at her Moosach home after a caller claimed to be from a hospital and said her daughter urgently needed expensive cancer treatment; she later filed a report.
  • Hesse: In Breitenbach am Herzberg, a senior surrendered gold bars to a short, stocky woman in dark clothing after calls from a crying “grandson” and supposed police, and the case was reported to authorities.
  • Police in Ludwigshafen, Munich, and Bad Hersfeld are investigating the incidents, and the perpetrators have not been identified.
  • Authorities urge residents to verify urgent money requests via known numbers and to refuse handing cash or valuables to unknown couriers.