86-year-old woman lost 13,000 PLN in "doctor" scam
A senior citizen from Szczawna-Zdrój believed scammers posing as a doctor and transferred money through a window. Wałbrzych police warn against this method.
"Doctor" scam in Wałbrzych
An 86-year-old resident of Szczawna-Zdrój lost 13,000 zlotys in a scam in which criminals posed as hospital staff. According to an account provided to walbrzych.policja.gov.pl, a scammer called the woman in the evening of 6 November and informed her of her daughter's alleged hospitalisation requiring urgent funding for specialist treatment.
During the conversation, the man handed the phone to a person whom the elderly woman believed to be her daughter. The woman heard a voice reassuring her of their love, which increased her anxiety and emotions. The scammer then resumed the conversation and asked the senior citizen about her savings, insisting on immediate transfer of the money.
Convinced she was helping her own daughter, the woman prepared 13,000 zlotys and packed them into bags. Following the scammer's instructions, she threw the package through the window, where an unidentified perpetrator waiting outside the building collected the money. The incident occurred during the night of 6 to 7 November.
Wałbrzych police emphasise that scammers constantly modify their methods, but their goal remains constant: to provoke fear, create time pressure and persuade the person being called to transfer money without verification. The institution appeals for caution, particularly among elderly people, and recommends that in the event of a suspicious call, first and foremost remain calm, end the conversation and contact family to verify the information. Any suspicion of fraud should be immediately reported to police at the number 112.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)