August 31, 2026, 9:03 am | Read time: 2 minutes
With a fabricated accident story, criminals put a senior couple under massive pressure. While the husband is lured to Bamberg, his wife hands over valuable coins.
A couple from the Hildburghausen district in Thuringia fell victim to a so-called shock call. The unknown perpetrators posed as employees of the Bavarian criminal police over the phone and claimed that the couple’s daughter had caused a fatal traffic accident.
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To allegedly prevent their relative from being jailed, the seniors were told to prepare cash and jewelry. The criminals created significant time pressure and exploited the concern for the daughter. Such a bail is not demanded by the real police over the phone.
Couple deliberately separated
Following the fraudsters’ instructions, the husband set off for Bamberg, where he was supposedly to pick up his daughter from custody. Meanwhile, his wife remained at their home address and handed over silver and gold coins worth around 20,000 euros to a perpetrator disguised as a police officer.
The approach shows how the perpetrators pressure their victims into quick decisions through fabricated emergencies. At the same time, they ensured that the couple could not coordinate during the handover. The police strongly warn against handing over money or valuables to supposed officials.
How to recognize a shock call
In such calls, those affected should remain suspicious, not allow themselves to be pressured, and end the conversation. The real police neither demand bail nor collect cash, jewelry, or other valuables at the door. Relatives should then be contacted directly using a known number.
In case of doubt, it is also advisable to call the police at the emergency number 110. Caution is also advised with silent calls. Fraudsters may attempt to record voices and use artificial intelligence to create voice clones for later extortion attempts.