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Police in Cologne and Hamburg Seek Suspects in High-Value Scams Targeting Seniors

Investigators outline elaborate ruses targeting elderly victims through investor pitches, police impersonation, counterfeit cash.

Overview

  • Cologne police released composite sketches to identify two men, estimated to be 55 to 75, after a multi-hundred-thousand-euro gold fraud.
  • The victim first met the pair in Milan, then in June handed over gold bars in a Cologne hotel lobby following a proposed trade.
  • She received a bag of sealed 200‑euro notes presented as nearly double the gold’s value, which a family member later recognized as counterfeit.
  • In Hamburg, two men wearing dark clothing with “POLIZEI” markings visited an 83-year-old in Altona on Sunday, claimed a threatened burglary, and took a small sum of cash plus three long guns, including two air rifles.
  • Hamburg police asked for witness tips by phone at (040) 4286 56789 as both investigations remain open with no arrests reported.