In the fight against con artists, the police in the Rhine district of Neuss are intensifying their cooperation with the Sparkasse in order to jointly prevent even more cases and protect victims from harm.
In recent years, fraudsters in the Rhine district of Neuss have scammed victims of between €500,000 and €1,000,000 per year. The perpetrators usually contact potential victims by telephone and ask specific questions about their personal financial circumstances. If the fraudsters discover that the victims believe what they are told, they demand that they hand over cash and jewelry.
Together with Sparkasse Neuss, the police have set themselves the goal of reaching even more people and, above all, preventing further crimes. As part of the cooperation, the brochure "Smarter against fraudsters" has been produced, which provides comprehensive and clear information on the tricks used by fraudsters and gives helpful tips on how everyone can protect themselves.
The district administrator and head of the district police authority Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke on the presentation of the new brochure: "I am always shocked at how inventive and perfidious the perpetrators are. It is therefore a personal concern of mine to stop con artists and prevent further crimes. With Sparkasse, we have a strong and trusted partner at our side to take us a big step closer to our common goal."
Michael Schmuck, CEO of Sparkasse: "We know our customers personally and work passionately to secure and grow the assets entrusted to us. Unfortunately, there are always people who try to defraud others of their money. Even with all due caution, you may not have heard about the latest scam. In order to protect even more people from harm, we have produced this brochure in partnership with police experts."
5,000 brochures have been printed and are now being handed out to interested parties.
The important information brochure is now available free of charge from police stations in the Rhine district of Neuss, savings banks and local authority offices. You can download the relevant documents from the websites of both partners.
In order to warn potential victims on site, Sparkasse Neuss has also introduced special envelopes in cooperation with the district police authority. These are sent to customers who withdraw a large amount of money. Six questions are printed on the envelopes, which are intended to help identify attempts at fraud. If at least two of these questions are answered in the affirmative, a call to the police is strongly recommended, as there is a high probability that this is one of the types of fraud. You can find an example in the download area.
The police in the Rhine district of Neuss have found that many people are already aware of the scams used by criminals. However, the fraudsters act so convincingly, adapting their approach and stories to current developments and building up pressure, that it still comes to the completion of such acts with high amounts of loot and damage. In some cases, senior citizens have handed over their entire life savings to strangers, believing it to be for a good cause or safe with the police.
The most important tips in a nutshell:
Make sure you know who you are dealing with: on the phone, at the front door or online. Do not let strangers into your home. If strangers demand money or want to take it into safekeeping, do not pay. Do not disclose any sensitive data.
The brochure addresses the following scams with specific tips on how to behave:
- False police officers
- Grandchild/relative/good friend trick
- Shock calls
- False promises of winnings
- Waterworks trick
- Roofer/tradesman trick
- Glass/water/slip of paper trick
- Money exchange trick
- Pickpocketing
Further information can also be found on our topic page.