Laupheim (dpa / lsw) - It is thanks to the suspicion of a married couple in the Biberach district that a suspected fraudster is in custody after a so-called shock call. "The caller pretended to be the son of the 66-year-old and the 69-year-old and suggested to them in a tearful voice that something bad had happened," police and prosecutors reported on Friday. A supposed policewoman then explained that the son had caused a serious traffic accident and would only not be arrested if bail was paid or valuables were handed over.
But the couple had doubts and turned on the real police. When a man drove up to the two in Laupheim on Thursday, as announced, to pick up money and valuables, the 66-year-old took a picture of him from the window and wrote down the license plate number of his car. When the woman and another witness approached the man, he got back into his car and drove away before the handover. The police were able to stop the vehicle shortly thereafter and arrest a 35-year-old. An arrest warrant was issued against him for attempted fraud in a particularly serious case.
Again and again scammers try to rip off older people in particular with such shock calls or other tricks. The police warn of these scams. For example, one should be suspicious of such calls with a suppressed number.
