Fraudsters take advantage of the flood disaster to make false calls for donations

With fake internet shops and appeals for donations, criminals apparently took advantage of the flood disaster and robbed people of money.

In three cases, suspected fraudsters would have offered building dryers online, as the police in Cologne and Bonn reported on Monday. After those affected had ordered there and paid in advance, the companies could no longer be reached by phone. In another case, a supposed electrical company would have offered repairs, but would not have carried them out after payment.

In Cologne, the police are looking for alleged fraudsters who copied a photo published on Facebook of an apartment destroyed by the flood and then asked for donations in a new post. It is now being determined whether someone has followed the call. The post had been deleted. In all cases, suspected fraud is investigated. The police warned of fraud in connection with the flood disaster in Monday’s announcement.

The criminals took advantage of the people’s helplessness and willingness to donate. Fake Internet shops are difficult to recognize at first glance: “Since the perpetrators operate from abroad, deleting such fake shops is often cumbersome and time-consuming. The fraudsters can therefore rob unsuspecting online buyers of their money for many weeks, ”warned the police. Because they often enticed with incredibly low prices, customers should, for example, not make spontaneous purchases and compare prices in advance. dpa

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