Fake police trick Salzburg woman out of gold coins worth €30,000

A 77-year-old woman in Salzburg was deceived by a caller posing as a police officer and lost gold coins worth about 30,000 euros, ORF reported.

The caller told her the coins were at risk from a Serbian burglary gang and that police needed to take them into temporary safekeeping. Trusting the caller, the woman wrapped the coins in newspaper, put them in a cloth bag and left it in a rubbish bin outside her home, as instructed. The caller said a colleague would collect them.

When the coins had not been returned by that evening, the woman became suspicious and reported the incident to police.

Police said they never ask people to hand over cash or valuables to unknown individuals or leave them at an agreed location. They advised people not to let callers put them under pressure, to end suspicious calls, and not to disclose information about their assets. Anyone receiving a suspicious call should contact police using the emergency number, not a number provided by the caller.