Fake police officers trick 87-year-old into handing over 30,000 euros

An 87-year-old man from the Innviertel region handed over cash and gold worth almost 30,000 euros after fraudsters posing as police officers told him they needed to protect his valuables from burglars, ORF reported.

The men first called the pensioner and claimed a burglary gang had been arrested and that his name was on a list found by investigators. A few days later, they told him to place his gold coins outside his front door with as few fingerprints as possible so that supposed criminal police officers could collect them.

The scam worked. After taking the gold, the fraudsters called again and instructed the man to close his savings accounts and leave the money outside his home. He followed their instructions, and the cash was also collected.

The 87-year-old became suspicious only after nobody contacted him again and notified the real police. The suspects remain at large.