German crime gangs turn to phone scams in 'wave of fraud'
Criminal syndicates in Germany are employing intricate telephone scams to deceive elderly individuals into surrendering their money, showcasing the enterprises' exploitation of advanced technology beyond traditional methods like break-ins and armed intimidation.
According to a former judge interviewed by The National, the criminal underworld has proven to be "successful in new fields" following a high-profile gang crime case, the Dresden Green Vault jewel theft, which resulted in prison sentences for five perpetrators.
Detectives reveal that this orchestrated "shock calls" often involve multiple scammers posing as police officers or distressed relatives, frequently originating from Turkey or Eastern Europe.
In a recent incident, an elderly couple in Germany fell victim to a scam where they were duped into handing over gold bars worth €186,000 ($198,000) after a woman pretending to be their daughter claimed she needed bail money to be released from prison.
Another similar scam was narrowly averted by a skeptical taxi driver, who became suspicious when his 84-year-old passenger was heading to the bank to collect a substantial sum of money.
Germany continues to witness new cases almost daily, leading one police force to describe it as a "wave of fraud." Despite federal investigators issuing warnings and urging vigilance, these criminal activities persist.
The typical hoax call starts with a "supposed family member with a tearful voice," who then transfers the call to an accomplice impersonating a police officer or prosecutor, as reported by Germany's federal criminal police.
"The scammers exploit this moment of shock and put their victims under time pressure to force them into ill-considered actions," stated the federal criminal police. "The callers tie the victims down with an ongoing phone call and thereby prevent those affected from making contact with their real relatives or with the police."
Law enforcement agencies have alerted the public to hoax calls originating from Turkey or Eastern Europe. They have also revealed that these scams often involve "criminal call centers" in Turkey or Eastern Europe, with an intermediary collecting the money or gold bars in person. Suspects from Poland and Germany have already been apprehended.
Mathias Rohe, a retired appellate judge in Nuremberg and an expert on Germany's organized crime groups, noted that these gangs face "new forms of competition" from criminal organizations originating in Russia and other places.
The notorious clans, rooted in Lebanon and Turkey, one of which was responsible for the Dresden robbery, represent only a portion of the larger criminal landscape that includes mafia structures in Germany dating back a decade, Rohe emphasized.
"We have no evidence that the specific family-based criminal structures we are dealing with are becoming stronger. However, they remain an obvious threat and appear to be successful in new areas such as shock calls," Rohe stated. "Additionally, we are witnessing new actors in organized crime and increasing international cooperation."
This month, Germany conducted widespread raids targeting a criminal group connected to the 'Ndrangheta gang from Italy. The gang was accused of operating a €22 million drug ring and engaging in weapons trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion.
The verdicts in the Dresden case were the result of a plea deal between prosecutors and members of the Remmo family, leading to the recovery of some of the stolen treasures. The burglary at Dresden's historic Green Vault involved the theft of 18th-century artifacts valued at a minimum of €114 million ($121.5 million).
Rohe stated that this case exemplifies certain gang members' inclination to commit "spectacular crimes," such as the previous theft of a large gold coin from a Berlin museum, also attributed to the Remmo gang.
Nonetheless, the unusual plea deals demonstrate that "these individuals are not immune to the prospect of lengthy imprisonment," he added.
Mahmoud Jaraba, another expert on clan crimes, expressed concerns that such arrangements, wherein some perpetrators had their sentences reduced and were allowed to walk free pending appeals, could send the wrong message to the criminal underworld. It might lead other gangsters to believe that "we can act with impunity here, without facing consequences."
