International conference: Police are fighting grandchildren!

International conference: Police are fighting grandchildren!

In Brandenburg you know that seniors are becoming more and more victims of criminal machinations. The methods that are used in so -called grandchildren and shock calls are particularly perfidious. This form of fraud is expanding throughout Europe. As antenne.de reports, the German police are increasingly cooperating with its international partners in order to cope with this problem. From Wednesday to Friday, for example, a conference will take place in Teltow, which was organized by the Berlin State Criminal Police Office (LKA). Here, prosecutors and criminal police officers from 16 federal states as well as international partners from Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain and Serbia come together.

The meeting is part of the EU-funded ISF Lumen project, which is devoted to the fight against cross-border organized crime. The perpetrators often pretend to be relatives or officials to persuade older people to pay money. In 2022 there were 6,656 cases of this kind in Germany with total damage in the multi -digit million range. Unfortunately, the number of unreported cases is unknown, and the victims have mostly been selected in a targeted manner via telephone books.

international cooperation and success

The international combination of police forces already shows success: in Berlin, for example, the number of fraud cases by 50 % in 2024 was reduced compared to the previous year. This is also due to the destruction of several call centers that were used for these frauds. The perpetrators, many of the family structures they organized mostly from Eastern Europe, often act from abroad, which makes international cooperation so important.

One of the best-known cases comes from Potsdam, where a senior woman was cheated by 220,000 euros-and an 88-year-old in Halle (Saale) lost 230,000 euros to the fraudsters. These machinations are not only locally, but also internationally, as also show the observations of a Polish investigator who has monitored a luxurious villa that belongs to the gang chief. This lives visibly in abundance, surrounded by expensive cars and a high security fence.

Missing information and entertainment

The problem is global, and not only German seniors are affected. In Italy, too, the police arrested 29 people who are responsible for fraud. This operation was carried out by the Carabinieri and shows with 54 proven fraud cases how seriously and systematically this crime is operated. In the case of shock calls, perpetrators often pretend to be police officers or lawyers, which increases the pressure on the victims.

With ideas for common strategies against crime and cross -border missions at this conference, an attempt is made to improve the situation. The investigation teams are working hard to smash the networks and bring the perpetrators behind grids.

A joint appeal from the meeting in Teltow: The merits within the police and the grown international connections should not be underestimated. Only through constant cooperation and mutual support can you arrive against the perfidious machinations of the fraudsters.

If you receive such a call or notice something suspicious, contact me! It is important that we take action against this crime together. Stay safe and inform your older relatives about this danger!

Further information can be found in the reports on Süddeutsche.de and Rainews .