On May 10, 2023, a 54-year-old woman from the Bregenz district fell victim to a sneaky scam known as the “granddaughter scam.”
The perpetrator first contacted the woman via SMS and pretended to be her daughter, who had lost her mobile phone.
The conversation was then moved to WhatsApp to be more believable. Here, the supposed daughter asked her mother to transfer her 1,880 euros to compensate for the loss of the phone. In good faith and to help her supposed daughter in need, the 54-year-old transferred the requested amount to a foreign account.
Mother transferred the money
After the transfer was made, it turned out that the whole situation was a scam. The scammers had successfully deceived the gullible mother and taken the money from her.
The police warn of such scams and advise those affected to always be suspicious of such requests and to contact the alleged family members directly to verify the authenticity of the request. It is important to report such incidents promptly in order to investigate the perpetrators and minimize any damage that may have occurred.
What the police advise:
- Remain cautious and try to contact your relatives on the phone number you know if they turn to you with supposed money claims
- If you are contacted by an unknown number, do not save it
- Ask questions that only your real son or daughter can know
- Remain very suspicious of requests for money transfers – whether on the phone or via WhatsApp – and do not allow yourself to be put under pressure
- If damage has occurred, notify your house bank immediately and request a chargeback
- Report this to the nearest police station – Inform your relatives and acquaintances about this scam
