– It was absolutely terrible right away, says Thor Wang, who is one of several victims of this fraud method.
– If I ever meet him again, I will tell him that he is destroying us old people. That he is not ashamed.
Wang is today very affected by the incident. He does not feel safe at home. In the days following the theft, he struggled to sleep at night. He locks all the doors and watches everything that happens outside the windows.
The whole case can be seen in Åsted Norge on Monday at 21.40 or on Play
The police have not been able to find the man or the gang behind the reckless thefts in Eastern Norway.
The person who has defrauded the elderly recently is wanted in several police districts. Photo: Espen Storsve
Elder fraud in Eastern Norway:
King’s Wings:
January 17.
The fraudster withdraws NOK 38,000.
Victim 77 years old.
Exchanged:
January 31.
The fraudster withdraws NOK 18,000.
Victim 93 years old.
Kongsberg:
February 12.
The fraudster withdraws NOK 9,000.
Victim 80 years.
In all cases, the fraudster has pretended to come from an electricity company, and then gains access to the elderly person’s home.
This is the method
On Tuesday 17 January, there was a sudden ring at Wang’s door in Kongsvinger. There was a man who wanted to check his electricity. The man further claimed that he was from a local electricity supplier. He had with him equipment to check the electricity, his own bank terminal and was dressed in work clothes. Wang he let in.
The man should have NOK 150 for the work he had done. After Wang produced his bank card and paid via the machine, the fraudster asked for a glass of water.
Wang made sure he got that. As he stood in the kitchen filling the glass with water, he heard a violent commotion in the bedroom, where he kept his wallet.
I went out into the living room again, and then I saw the man asking out with my wallet in his hand, says Wang.
Police attorney Wigdis Hjalmarsen takes the fraud of the elderly seriously. Photo: Espen Storsve
Reckless perpetrator
In retrospect, Wang is glad he didn’t put up more resistance when he realized what happened. Then he fears that much worse things could happen. Police prosecutor in Innlandet, Wigdis Hjalmarsen, has thought the same.
She adds that it is reckless of a perpetrator to carry out the fraud when you see that it is an elderly person who opens the door.
– The perpetrator has no idea what feelings the person he is defrauding gets. He only thinks about himself and his own gain.
Couldn’t stop the thief
Pensioner Wang followed as fast as he could when he realized the scammer was going to run off with his wallet. He made it to the entrance and called out for the thief. To no avail.
The man was already far gone. By the time Wang had contacted the police, and then the bank to block the card, the thief had managed to drain his card of money.
Here the thief withdraws money from the ATM after defrauding Thor Wang. Photo: The police
The perpetrator ran straight to the nearest ATM. There he was captured by a surveillance camera. The man who defrauded Wang was wearing a red jacket, gray jeans and a black hat. There are many indications that he tried to hide from the camera.
Great burden for victims
Police attorney Hjalmarsen says that the police take Thor Wang’s fraud and incidents like this seriously.
– It is the everyday crime. This can be experienced as very identity-infringing, and has an effect far beyond the criminal act. It may not be a large amount, but it is a big burden for those who are exposed to it, she says.
Victim Thor Wang has become much more concerned after the scam. Photo: Espen Storsve
New victim in Østfold
Only two weeks later, on 31 January, a similar theft occurred in Skiptvet. There, a woman in her 90s was visited by a man who also pretended to be from an electricity company.
He needed money to check the electricity, made her pay with a bank card, and ran off with her bank card. This man managed to visit ATMs and grocery stores, and withdrew large sums of money.
He first visited the ATM of DNB in Askim, where he withdrew NOK 8,000. He then went on to two different grocery stores and again withdrew large amounts. This happened just before nine o’clock in the evening. This man was wearing a yellow work jacket, gray jeans, a black hat and glasses.
Wanted for the third time
Exactly the same procedure was used by a fraudster in Kongsberg on Sunday 12 February. As in the two previous incidents, a man in his 80s was visited by a man presumably from an electricity company.
The man again pulled out a bank terminal, made the elderly man pay, and ran away with his bank card. The fraudster taps the card again for money.
The police do not yet know if it is the same person. The person is wanted by the police.
The fraud cases are now being investigated in both Innlandet, East and South-East police districts. The police believe the man uses a fake bank terminal to obtain the code for the card, and then withdraw amounts from ATMs and shops.
They are working on obtaining bank statements. Police attorney Hjalmarsen believes it is important to stop the man before more people become victims of the same thing.
Do you have any tips in this matter? Send an email to [email protected]
