Pensioner hands over large sum to fake policemen

Confidence tricksters pretending to be police officers are again active in the canton of Zug, with a pensioner recently handing over more than CHF 10,000 to fraudsters. The police have issued a warning about this scam, and advise everyone to exercise caution in such matters.

On Monday morning, December 9, 2019, an 83-year-old woman in Baar was contacted several times by phone by two alleged police officers from the Lörrach Border Police and the Zug police, according to a report by the Zug police. The fake officers told the pensioner a story about a break-in close to where she lived, and that a slip of paper with her name on it had been found on two people who had been arrested.

They instructed the 83-year-old to withdraw a large amount of money from the bank and to place the notes in her mailbox. The police would then pick up the money, store it safely and return it later. The pensioner believed the story, drew CHF 11,000 from the bank and placed it in her mailbox. When she checked later, and the money was gone, she became suspicious and informed the (real) police.

This case is a known scam. According to the police, the perpetrators are very clever, and tell their victims a convincing story, using technical terms to manipulate their victim. They are very professional, and often put a lot of pressure on the subsequent victim. There have already been cases of such scams throughout the canton in the last few days. The parties involved reacted correctly, however, and the fake police officers were unsuccessful with their scam.

In order to protect yourself from telephone fraud, the Zug police advise the following:

- Be suspicious of a police officer telling you a story about a crime on the phone, and asking you to hand
   over money or valuables.
- The police will NEVER ask you for cash on the phone.
- End the call immediately.
- Report the incident to the police immediately by dialling the police emergency number 117.
- Take warnings from bank clerks seriously, and allow them to notify the police if there is any doubt.