Four women named Anna defrauded: South Zealand Police warn of contact fraud
Four women with the same first name have reported fraud attempts to police. South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police are now urging people to warn elderly individuals in their circles.
Fraudsters impersonated police and bank
South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police have received reports over the past few days from four women who all share the first name Anna. This is reported by TV 2 Nyheder.
What the four women have in common is that they were all called by fraudsters who attempted to obtain their payment cards and codes. In several cases, the fraudsters claimed to be from the police.
None of the women gave up any information – all chose instead to report the matter.
– The story is a bit odd. But what lies behind it is certainly not funny, the police district wrote in a post on Facebook.
Elderly frequently targeted
According to South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police, contact fraudsters often target elderly citizens. The fraudsters typically present themselves as bank or police employees and tell the recipient that suspicious activity has been registered on their account.
They then attempt to persuade the elderly person to hand over their payment card – and in some cases they even offer to send a courier to their home address to collect it.
– It can sound both professional and friendly, and the fraudsters can be very convincing, the police district wrote.
Police advice to the public
South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police urge everyone to remember the following:
- Never hand over your payment card or codes to anyone.
- Never provide MitID information, PIN code or other personal information because someone calls and asks for it.
- Banks, police and other authorities do not send people to your home to collect cards or codes.
- If in doubt, end the call. Find the bank's official phone number and ring back – or contact police on 1-1-4.
- Talk to family or friends before taking any action. It is perfectly fine to be sceptical.
Appeal to relatives
The police also make a direct appeal to all those who have elderly people in their circle: Have a conversation with them about how the fraudsters operate and what to do if you are contacted.
– And to all you Annas out there – and of course also to all of you with completely different names: Be sceptical and hang up one time too many rather than one time too few, the police said.
Source: TV 2 Nyheder