Greifswald/Neubrandenburg (dpa/MV) – Police in East Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have again warned of scammers via WhatsApp. As a police spokeswoman said Monday in Neubrandenburg, a 70-year-old woman in the Greifswald region fell victim to such fraud. A few days ago, strangers sent her a messenger message in which she pretended to be a daughter who had a new cell phone, and thus a new cell phone number. A short time later, the alleged daughter asked the elderly person to make two transfers because online banking using the new mobile phone was not yet working.
The 70-year-old transferred about 5,000 euros in several steps and the scammers even sent pictures of him. Thank them via WhatsApp. At the end of the week, the old woman called the real daughter, who was surprised and did not have a new mobile phone. In the meantime all data has been deleted.
Scammers acted similarly on the island of Rügen, where a 60-year-old man was subjected to the same scam with an alleged son. After a few messages online, he asked for a transfer, but sent two bank numbers. When the pensioner called the real son on the landline to explain the problem with the number, the hoax was revealed. Police had already recorded similar cases in the Lake District in July. There are two elderly men who lost several thousand euros.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210911-99-176391 / 4
