The police are observing a new version of the grandchildren trick scam – via the WhatsApp news platform. A current example from Neuchâtel shows that such cases also exist in the Freiburg region.
With a new version of the so-called grandchild trick, criminals in the Freiburg region are trying to cheat unsuspecting people out of their money. They use social media such as the WhatsApp news platform and hope that the mostly older victims believe that only real relatives and acquaintances can know their contact details.
A case from Neuchâtel, which the police in Müllheim are working on, makes people sit up and take notice. Denise Briege from the management group of the Müllheim district speaks of an “extraordinary approach”. With an unknown cell phone number, the alleged fraudsters would have contacted the victim via the WhatsApp news service and pretended to be his son. “The unknown number was justified with a repair of his own mobile phone. The supposed son also stated that he still had to make urgent transfers and asked the injured party to make the transfers for him, which fortunately he refused, as Denise Briege says. Later I did the injured party contacted his son in a different way, thereby recognizing the attempted fraud and notifying the police.
Fake phone numbers
So far, Denise Briege explains that no other cases with this or a similar approach have become known at the Müllheim police station, in which contact was made with possible victims via social media or news services. “But it is quite possible that other victims will contact us after the press release has been published.” According to the police officer, she cannot yet say much about the chances of success in solving this crime, the investigation is still in its infancy. “In general, the chances are rather small, since the numbers are often spoofed, i.e. faked, and therefore the subscriber cannot be identified.” And the phone number of the alleged fraudster is the only clue so far.
No increase in cases in the region yet
The phenomenon of contact via WhatsApp is not entirely new nationwide, at least there has not been an increase in the Freiburg region recently, says Police Commissioner Thomas Spisla, social media manager at the Freiburg police headquarters. The question of whether such attempts at fraud have increased as a result of the pandemic has yet to be examined more closely. “In my opinion, this is a new form of tricking grandchildren, which simply exploits the fact that grandma and grandpa are also using WhatsApp more and more often and many are not sufficiently informed about the associated risks and dangers.” says Spisla. There are many ways to get cell phone numbers. “The perpetrators are probably very savvy in terms of computer technology and are certainly also able to use hacking programs to obtain telephone numbers. However, it can also be assumed that data sets are sometimes acquired legally for advertising purposes.” What is meant is that when a mobile phone contract is concluded, the option of passing on the data for advertising purposes is often consented to, knowingly or inadvertently.
“Therefore, you should read the small print carefully when concluding a mobile phone contract,” emphasizes the police commissioner.
Don’t save unknown numbers on your phone
In their notes on crime prevention, the police also advise not to save unknown numbers on the cell phone immediately when trying to contact them of any kind and to check the security settings of the intelligence service used.
In addition, those affected should ask relatives or acquaintances using their previous contact details whether the new number is really correct. And if you ask for money or transfers, that should always make you suspicious.
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