The scam comes in different versions – the defendants in this case are said to have posed as craftsmen. But instead of repairing things, they probably came with criminal intent.
In the border triangle of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, they are said to have targeted older people and stolen money, debit cards and belongings from them: Due to serious gang theft in several cases, the Mannheim regional court is today (9 a.m.) against four old men from 23 to 31 years old. They are said to have committed their crimes in different configurations and made it into the victims’ apartments as alleged craftsmen or technicians.
Once inside, they distracted the older people so that accomplices could follow and attack. A scam that also exists in other versions: The police report cases in which trick thieves stand at the door and pose, for example, as heating bill readers, church employees or criminal investigators or ask for a glass of water or for a note and pen or a message to neighbors to leave behind.
With preventive measures, the police are trying to educate people about the thieves’ actions and tricks, as a spokesman for the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office explained. Probably the most important advice: “Don’t let strangers into your apartment.” Nobody is obliged to let anyone in unannounced. Before opening the door, you should also take a close look at visitors through the peephole or a window, use the intercom and only open the door with the door lock presented.
In the Mannheim case, the defendants were reportedly able to steal cash and jewelry several times, for example, or EC cards that they used to withdraw money. In Bensheim, southern Hesse, they once had to flee before completing their crime because the victim’s carer suddenly rang the doorbell. In Brühl in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, a woman didn’t even let her into the apartment, according to the report.
Among other things, the suspects are said to have been up to mischief in Ludwigshafen and Mosbach from October to December last year. The court has scheduled 15 more hearings until shortly before Christmas.