Shock calls: Seniors in the sights of the fraudsters - this is how they protect themselves!

Shock calls: Seniors in the sights of the fraudsters - this is how they protect themselves!

crime in Berlin and Brandenburg accepts new forms, and the latest stitches of the fraudsters attract alarming attention. In particular, grandchildren trick and shock calls are a serious threat to seniors. This knowledge is based on a current interview with chief criminal chief Sebastian Hölich from LKA Berlin [rbb24] (https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/2025/06/berlin-brandenburg-keltrick- Telefonbet-sener-kriminalitaet-schockanruf.html) published.

The perpetrators are clever. They specifically call senior citizens and often use old first names that are known from telephone books. With an intrusive tone, you ask the victim to guess the caller. As soon as a relative is called, constructed stories follow, which mostly report on a supposed traffic accident in which the relative is in danger. This emotional manipulation often means that the victims willingly hand over high amounts, often of up to 100,000 euros. In a particularly extreme case, a senior citizen in Potsdam lost 220,000 euros and an 88-year-old in Halle (Saale) even 230,000 euros to the fraudsters, such as Stuttgarter News reported.

affected and susceptibility

Especially susceptible to these fraud stitches are older people who are in emotionally vulnerable moments, for example after death. The psychological consequences for the victims are serious; Many suffer from sleep disorders, shame and social withdrawal. It is frightening that the number of places of victims who do not report to the police is high.

perpetrators, often organized in large, cross -border family associations, often operate from Eastern Europe. In the past, many of these entrepfool centers were based in Poland, but through international cooperation, some of these call centers were smashed, according to [rbb24] (https://www.rbbb24.de/panorama/biebtrag/2025/06/berlin-brandenburg-keltrick- Telefonbet-seniors-kriminalitaet-schockanruf.html).

number of cases and success of the police

In 2024, a total of 6656 cases of grandchildren trick fraud were registered in Germany, of which 1527 were informed. This means a significant increase in the information rate. The police have achieved success in combating this crime, because the number of cases in Berlin dropped by around 50% between 2023 and 2024. Four call centers were successfully closed this year. Statista also emphasizes that the police keep international cooperation to prioritize the topic and to combat fraud.

The crime statistics of the Federal Criminal Police Office also recorded a decline in crime by 1.7 %for 2024. This is in contrast to the still worrying numbers of fraud. The feeling of security of the people remains severely impaired by these specific types of crime.

recommendations for prevention

The spiral of this crime shows how important it is that society acts together to protect older people and to restore trust in their own security.