Senior citizens are no more likely to fall victim to crime than people in other age groups. Unfortunately, however, some perpetrators or groups of perpetrators have specialized in targeting older people and robbing them of their belongings through doorstep scams, theft from apartments, pickpocketing, purse snatching and robbery.
The second Care Strengthening Act (PSG II) came into force on January 1, 2017. A key component of this is a new assessment tool for determining the need for long-term care. Unsuspecting consumers receive a professionally designed contract, allegedly with information on this law.
The letter from the organization Deutscher Pflegekreis e.V. gives the impression of a formal letter from a care insurance fund or authority. Consumers are offered support in determining future care levels as part of the forthcoming change in the law.
In the end, however, consumers sign a contract for the regular delivery of care aids, such as disposable gloves or disinfectants. Consumers also agree to be called or written to for advertising purposes.
The police advise:
- Do not sign the contract if you do not want the services and future advertising
- If you have already signed a contract, contact your local consumer advice center.
Further information:
Coffee runs are repeatedly used by fraudsters to sell goods at inflated prices. Potential customers are recruited to take part in an event with promises of prizes or attractive leisure activities. The salespeople use such clever rhetoric that even skeptical participants are willing to buy something. At the same time, the right of return and withdrawal under the German Civil Code (BGB) is often circumvented by disguised or false business addresses, making it impossible for those affected to assert their claims under civil law. In addition, criminal offences such as deprivation of liberty, coercion, fraud, forgery of documents or administrative offences are often committed in connection with such sales events.
Information:
- The NRW Consumer Advice Centre (VZ NRW) and the LKA NRW have produced joint prevention tips for citizens.
- Information from the VZ NRW https://www.verbraucherzentrale.nrw/wissen/reise-mobilitaet/urlaub-buchen/kaffeefahrten-viele-falsche-versprechungen-10395
- A list of dubious companies in connection with coffee trips/notifications of winnings (Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg) http://www.vzhh.de/recht/30249/schwarze-liste-der-abzocker.aspx
Victim protection and victim support: Link to the Victim protection page
Purse snatchers usually avoid open confrontation with the victim. They rely on surprise, physical strength and speed and snatch the handbag from the victim while walking/riding past (bicycle, motorized two-wheeler or inline skates). Most victims are single, older women who are observed at financial institutions, for example, from where they are followed to their homes and robbed.
The police advise:
- Always carry valuables in your clothing close to your body. Use the inside pockets of your clothing.
- When withdrawing money, make sure that you are not being watched. Do not count money in public.
In cases where you cannot/do not want to do without your handbag:
- Clip your bag closed under your arm. Carry it on the side facing away from the road.
- If you are the victim of or witness to a purse snatching, alert the police immediately by calling 110 or sending an emergency fax. (Link to emergency fax)
And finally, a particularly important tip:
Do not resist in a hopeless situation. Comply with every demand made by the perpetrator, especially if it is made with weapons. Do not fight for the bag. Do not hold on to it if robbers try to snatch it. There is a high risk of injury from falling, using force or being dragged along. Property can be replaced - and is often insured - but your personal safety always comes first!
Further information on handbag theft and robbery in general can be found on the website of the State and Federal Police Crime Prevention Program at: https://www.polizei-beratung.de/themen-und-tipps/raub/handtaschenraub/ (Page: Topics and tips / Robbery / Handbag snatching)
Patients and employees in hospitals and care facilities are often victims of property crime. The perpetrators take advantage of the special conditions in hospitals and care facilities to commit their crimes. In open facilities, not only patients but also visitors can move around freely as far as possible. This allows thieves to gain undetected access to areas of the building where patients and staff keep money, debit cards, identity documents or jewelry, among other things. Nursing and care staff cannot detect every suspicious situation because their attention is focused on their core tasks.
The police advise:
- Do not take large amounts of money or valuable jewelry into the hospital or care facility.
- Always lock valuables and cash in your safe deposit box or hand in valuables to the administration
- Report any theft to the nursing staff and report it to the police.
Complaints about fraudulent sweepstake subscriptions and subsequent unauthorized account debits are continuing at the NRW consumer advice center. Increasingly, the alleged claims are also being collected via telephone bills. In many cases, these debits are preceded by advertising calls with the message that a voucher has been won. During the supposed congratulatory calls, data is requested and sweepstake subscriptions are offered.
The police advise:
- Never give your personal data, especially your account details, to unknown people.
Further information and tips on protection against direct debit fraud (link to PDF Prevention tips on direct debit fraud)
Since the beginning of 2012, there has been an increase in the number of fraudsters in North Rhine-Westphalia pretending to collect money for the needy. The perpetrators are sometimes male, more often female and increasingly younger. They approach their victims in pedestrian zones, outdoor restaurants and parking lots, but also in stores, offices and supermarkets.
In addition to the fraudulent donations, the victims are often tricked and robbed.
In the meantime, the groups of perpetrators are concentrating on victims who are withdrawing cash from ATMs. The perpetrators, some of whom are young, are increasingly aggressive and violent towards their victims.
The police advise:
- Keep your distance from people asking for money and avoid any physical contact!
- In the event of suspicious observations and criminal acts, inform the police immediately by calling 110 or sending an emergency fax.
Further information and prevention tips on the subject of theft by charity collectors and robbery at ATMs can be found here: Prevention tips on the topic
The senior citizens' own four walls are the most important place they have lived in for many decades and in which they have invested a lot of money and work. They are therefore receptive when they are seemingly accidentally saved from major inconvenience or even damage by supposed experts, without relatives having to be bothered with the repairs or their handling. The perpetrators exploit these circumstances, relying on the physical and psychological inferiority of their victims.
They either carry out sham or botched work, e.g. on the roof, which often results in damage in the first place. In some cases, claims are also made for work that was not commissioned. If requested, the amount received is acknowledged on site in the simplest possible way, but without a time sheet or commercial invoice. Mobile phone numbers left behind belong to prepaid cell phones with mostly non-existent subscribers who can no longer be reached after a short time. Advance payment is demanded for the purchase of allegedly required material. After handing over the money, the perpetrators disappear under pretexts that initially seem credible (buying materials, picking up other employees, taking a break, etc.).
In addition to the fraudulent acts, some cases also involve the theft of cash, EC cards and jewelry:
- Spying on the money stash while cashing in rather small amounts
- Engaging the victim with constant new requests while another accomplice searches the house for money and jewelry
- Purported use of toilets
- In the case of people who are unable to walk, supposed assessments of the roof are carried out via windows on upper floors. If the victim even bothers to climb the stairs, the theft (bedroom) is already complete.
Prevention tips:
These groups of criminals are mainly on the move in spring and early summer and specifically look for older homeowners as victims.
Protect yourself:
- Healthy mistrust is not rudeness.
- Get the names of the employees, the company name and the location of the company.
- Check with your local business licensing office to see if the traveling company is registered there.
- Ask for the traveling business license.
- Involve your neighbors in the negotiations.
- Do not leave the employees unobserved.
- Call a local company. Describe and compare the offer.
- If you have been the victim of a crime, file a report with the police.
The fear of violence on the street, especially in metropolitan areas, is very pronounced among many people, especially older people. However, the risk of becoming a victim of crime there is relatively low. Older people are generally more likely to be robbed or defrauded in their homes than attacked on the street. The first aim of all trick thieves and fraudsters at the front door is to be let in so that they are alone with the victim. This way, they don't need to worry about witnesses or help for the victim.
Working methods
In the case of trick theft/fraud, all known perpetrators can be traced back to three basic patterns:
Faking an emergency situation that appears to require help or assistance from the victim in the home.
Faking an official capacity that apparently authorizes the perpetrator to enter the home
Faking a personal relationship with the victim that suggests an invitation to enter the home.
In the download area below you will find our prevention tips on the subject of trick theft/trick fraud.
Since 01.01.2017, smoke alarms have been mandatory for all apartments and houses in North Rhine-Westphalia following an amendment to paragraph 49 of the state building regulations.
At the beginning of 2017, various media outlets warned of fake smoke alarm inspectors trying to gain access to apartments and houses in order to steal stolen goods. The Ministry for Building, Housing, Urban Development and Transport (MBWSV) NRW and the Association of Fire Departments (Verband der Feuerwehren e. V.) have announced that no checks are currently being carried out with regard to the smoke alarm obligation.
In the event that unknown persons ring the doorbell of your house or apartment and demand access to your house or apartment, the police advise:
- Do not allow any unknown persons into your house or apartment
- Inform the police immediately by calling 110
- Note the number displayed on your telephone display when you receive a call.
- If you have been the victim of such a crime, contact the police in any case and file a complaint.
Further information on trick theft by false smoke alarm inspectors
