Bavarian pensioner lays trap to catch phone fraudsters after his gold

"The German pensioner received an urgent call on Tuesday from a man posing as a police officer telling him a family member was in distress a common trick used against elderly people. Immediately smelling a rat, he kept the caller on the line saying he would rush to get 10,000 (8,750) in cash and several gold coins to hand over. While he strung the conman along, his daughter called Ingolstadt police who were able to catch a 20-year-old male suspect at the pickup spot."

"It was the second time the quick-thinking pair had laid a trap for a swindler. In September last year, a man impersonating a police officer tried a similar trick over the phone against the pensioner and demanded more than 60,000 in cash. Then, too, he and his daughter reacted in an exemplary manner, which also led to the arrest of a courier, police said. When the 40-year-old woman arrived to pick up the bundle at the handover site, police were waiting."

"Earlier this month, a Munich woman in her 80s gave cash and gold valued at up to 600,000 to swindlers after receiving a phone call from a female doctor claiming that a family member urgently needed expensive medication she should pay for by courier. A 24-year-old man arrived to claim the money and the gold while a 59-year-old accomplice waited for him in a nearby car. Police arrested both at the scene and returned the valuables to the woman."

An 85-year-old Bavarian detected a telephone scam and pretended to fetch 10,000 (8,750) in cash and several gold coins while his daughter alerted Ingolstadt police, resulting in the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect at the pickup point. The same duo had previously trapped a courier after a similar demand of more than 60,000. Separate recent cases include an Munich woman in her 80s who handed over cash and gold worth up to 600,000 before police arrested two couriers and returned the valuables. Police advise elderly people to be sceptical, avoid sharing personal or bank details, and not hand over valuables.

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