– A shock call, a false emergency and your savings are gone: Why the police keep warning about such scams.
Con artists pressured an 81-year-old woman in Ebermannstadt (Forchheim district) to hand over gold bars worth around 132,000 euros. The elderly woman handed the gold over to the perpetrators after a shocking phone call, the police said.
Accordingly, the unknown people claimed on the phone that a relative of the elderly woman was in the hospital and urgently needed money for treatment. They used this pretext to put pressure on the woman until she agreed to hand over a kilogram of gold.
The police repeatedly warn against such shock calls and grandchild scammers. Nevertheless, there is often high financial damage. The perpetrators pose as police officers or close relatives, describe dramatic emergencies and deliberately put their victims under emotional pressure. Officials advise people to be suspicious of requests for money over the phone and not to hand over valuables to strangers. If in doubt, those affected should contact the police or relatives using known numbers.
date: 2026-02-15 16:30:00
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