Overview
- Police arrested three Bulgarian nationals and executed detention orders after searches in Würzburg and surrounding towns, with courts remanding the suspects on warrants for multiple counts of gang fraud following actions on 28 May 2026.
- Investigators say the suspects used stolen EC cards for purchases and ATM withdrawals, and a 21-year-old was identified from ATM surveillance footage that helped locate a silver Audi A4 used by the group.
- Parallel probes in Berlin and Kassel continue as police appeal for witnesses to cases where offenders filmed at an ATM and a perpetrator who collected a card from an elderly victim were linked to the same tactic.
- The scam relies on callers posing as bank or security staff to obtain PINs and then retrieving cards in person or using cards stolen from the mail, a technique that regularly targets older people with urgent, convincing stories.
- Police urge people to verify bank contacts independently, report suspicious calls or visits, and expect more coordinated regional investigations as authorities trace withdrawals with bank surveillance and inter‑police cooperation.