Fraudsters steal gift card codes from Bielefeld resident
Unknown perpetrators defrauded a woman of gift card codes on 13 July 2026 in Bielefeld. The criminals claimed her computer had been hacked.
Fraudsters steal gift card codes from Bielefeld resident
Unknown criminals successfully defrauded a woman of gift card codes on Monday, 13 July 2026, in the Bielefeld city area. Bielefeld police reported that the victim was online around 16:30 when a window appeared. She was led to believe her computer had been compromised.
Shortly afterwards, an alleged support employee called the woman. The caller explained that she needed to purchase special gift card vouchers and transmit the associated codes to resolve the alleged problem. The Bielefeld resident followed the instructions and handed over the codes to the fraudsters.
The following morning, the perpetrators made contact again. By this time the woman was unsettled and turned to an acquaintance. The acquaintance recognised the fraud and alerted the police. The voucher codes that were transmitted are irrevocably lost, as they function like cash and cannot be traced.
Police warn once again against this method: legitimate companies never demand payment via gift cards. Anyone who receives such requests should stop immediately and contact the authorities.
Source: Radio Bielefeld
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)