Overview
- Two separate telephone frauds this week left older victims with heavy losses: a 69‑year‑old in Freital was tricked into placing cash and jewellery in a cooking pot and lost about €190,000, and an over‑80s couple in Kaufbeuren handed over a mid‑five‑figure sum after a staged handover.
- Perpetrators used impersonation and urgency to force compliance, including callers posing as police and a two‑step ruse that first claimed a daughter had cancer then followed with a fake officer requesting cooperation in a staged arrest.
- Kaufbeuren police have opened an inquiry and asked anyone who saw suspicious people or vehicles near Heinzelmannstraße on 22 May between 16:00 and 18:00 to call 08341 9330 to provide information.
- Authorities reminded the public that real police never collect cash or valuables from homes and urged people not to give money to unknown callers or individuals or to transfer funds under pressure.
- Journalists and investigators warned that advances in AI voice‑cloning could make these scams harder to spot by letting criminals mimic relatives’ voices, increasing the risk to seniors and prompting calls for wider public education and vigilance.