Kassel/Vellmar (dpa/lhe) - A suspected member of a gang of fake police officers has been caught by real investigators in northern Hesse. The 24-year-old is said to have been involved in four cases of fraud with damage of more than 100,000 euros, the police and public prosecutor said on Friday in Kassel. Some very old seniors were called and their valuables were taken away.
According to the police, the suspect from Vellmar was arrested in October and is in custody. A search of the apartment had previously found evidence that substantiated the suspicion against the man. This was preceded by investigations by the public prosecutor's office in Dresden.
The fraudsters are said to have used the same scam between May and October of this year in Witzenhausen, Frankenberg/Eder, Spangenberg and Bad Emstal: they pretended to be police officers on the phone and reported to the pensioners about a gang of thieves who had allegedly been arrested the called party had in their sights.
"The alleged police officers then frightened the victims on the phone by pretending that their valuables were no longer safe," the investigators reported. "In order to keep one's belongings safe, one should hand over the money or jewelry to the police. In good faith, the intimidated seniors handed over valuables to collectors sent by the scammers in all four cases." The captured 24-year-old is suspected of having acted in this capacity. Investigations into possible links to other cases are ongoing.
