Criminal gangs in Germany are using elaborate phone scams to trick older people into handing over their money as the enterprises harness technology beyond break-ins and armed intimidation.
A former judge told The National the underworld was proving “successful in new fields” after a notorious gang crime case, the Dresden Green Vault jewel theft, ended in prison terms for five culprits.
Detectives say the choreographed “shock calls” often involve several scammers posing as police or stricken relatives, with calls typically placed from Turkey or Eastern Europe.
In one recent case, an older couple in Germany was tricked into handing over gold bars worth €186,000 ($198,000), after a woman posing as their daughter claimed to need bailing out of prison.
Another similar scam was thwarted at the last minute by a sceptical taxi driver, whose 84-year-old passenger was on her way to collect a five-figure sum from her bank.
New cases are being reported almost daily in Germany in what one police force called a “wave of fraud”, despite federal investigators warning people to be on guard.
A hoax call often begins with a “supposed family member with a tearful voice” who then hands over to an accomplice posing as a police officer or prosecutor, said 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,” it said.
“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.”
Authorities have said the scams often come from “criminal call centres” in Turkey or Eastern Europe and involve an intermediary picking up the money or gold bars in person. Suspects from Poland and Germany are among those to have been arrested.
Mathias Rohe, a retired appeal judge in Nuremberg and expert on Germany’s crime clans, said the gangs face “new forms of competition” from gangs originating in Russia and elsewhere.
Notorious clans with roots in Lebanon and Turkey, one of which was behind the Dresden robbery, are “only a part of the broader scene, starting with decade-old mafia structures in Germany,” he said.
“We have no evidence that the particular criminal family-based structures we are dealing with are getting stronger. But they are still an obvious threat, and seemingly successful in new fields such as shock calls,” he said.
“In addition, we see new actors in organised crime, and increasing international co-operation.”
Germany this month staged mass raids against a criminal group linked to Italy’s 'Ndrangheta gang.
The gang was accused of running a €22 million drugs ring as well as involvement in weapons trafficking, money laundering and tax avoidance.
The verdicts in the Dresden case came after a plea deal between prosecutors and members of the Remmo family that led to some of the loot being recovered.
Thieves broke into Dresden’s historic Green Vault and stole 18th-century treasures with an insurance value of at least €114 million ($121.5 million).
Mr Rohe said the case showed the tendency of some gang members to commit “spectacular crimes”, such as the previous theft of a giant gold coin from a Berlin museum that was also linked to the Remmo gang.
However, the unusual plea deals show that “these people are not impervious to the expectation of a long-lasting imprisonment”, he said.
Another clan crime expert, Mahmoud Jaraba, last week told The National that the deals could send the wrong signal to the underworld.
He said the arrangements, in which some culprits had their sentences reduced and were allowed to walk free pending appeals, could leave other gangsters feeling that “we can do what we want here, and without consequences”.
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Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
HIJRA
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Rating: 3/5
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The specs
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Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
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The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
