When the phone rings in the middle of the night, it usually doesn't mean anything good. That was Sabine Coenen-Kolberg's first thought when she was woken from her sleep at half past three by her cell phone. A crying young woman was reporting a car accident that she had caused. "I was sure it was my daughter, who was also pregnant at the time," says Coenen-Kolberg, who works as an assistant in the office of the head of the Düsseldorf LKA, Ingo Wünsch. After a few minutes, another woman takes over the conversation and introduces herself as a member of the night watch at Düsseldorf District Court. The horror news: Coenen-Kolberg's daughter is allegedly in custody there for a hit-and-run.
In retrospect, the LKA employee, who has been with the police for 22 years, knows exactly what questions she should have asked herself at this point at the latest: Does the whole thing actually make sense? Does anything at all fit together in this crude story? "But I only had one goal at that moment: I wanted my daughter back, I wanted to get her out of there. Common sense simply took a break, my concern for my own child overrode everything."
At night, sometimes horrendous sums are demanded
Suddenly there is talk of a 62,000 euro bail that the mother is supposed to pay for her daughter. Sabine Coenen-Kolberg wakes her husband, who is a retired police officer. He listens to the story, questions the alleged officer - and hangs up after a while. "I shouted at him about how he could do that." Finally, a call to the (blissfully sleeping) daughter clears everything up.
The example of the long-time LKA employee shows that almost anyone can fall victim to a telephone scam using a shock call. This perfidious scam is undoubtedly more malicious than the well-known "grandchild trick", which mainly affects older people.
Because the fraudsters have perfected their tricks, more and more younger people are now falling for them. This development is reflected in the figures. The recorded amount of damage caused by shock calls has recently risen dramatically: While it was "only" around 3.4 million euros in NRW in 2019, it was already more than 14.6 million euros in 2023. According to experts, more than 100 million euros are likely to have disappeared across Germany. "It is not uncommon for six-figure sums to be stolen from those affected," emphasizes Deborah Buschendorf from Department 32.1 (Crime Prevention and Victim Protection) of the LKA.
High number of unreported cases and great shame at falling for the perfidious scam
The number of unreported cases is very high and the actual loss is likely to be much higher. Many cases are not even reported to the police due to fear, shame, self-doubt or other reasons. After all, the victims often lose more than just money and jewelry. Buschendorf: "The basic trust in people is gone. Psychological illnesses are not uncommon, and suicides have even occurred as a result of such a drastic experience.
The criminals build up shock scenarios and the victim comes under extreme pressure
The calls often feign the supposed danger to life and limb of relatives. For example, the call is about an emergency operation abroad for which money must be transferred immediately, otherwise the relative will die. "These are the kind of shock scenarios that naturally cause the victims particular distress and prompt them to act in ways that are sometimes inexplicable," emphasizes the detective chief inspector.
But how can you protect yourself?
Agreing on solutions together with relatives for such cases or sticking notes on the phone
A call to the person allegedly affected can of course quickly clarify the situation. "That helps in the vast majority of cases," says Deborah Buschendorf. "But it's often difficult because many people's adrenaline kicks in, they're in a tunnel and they can no longer think left or right." In addition, you can agree on a password in the family in advance, which must be requested or named in the event of an emergency. According to her, a simple note can also provide the decisive impetus to pause briefly when a suspicious call is received. A small sign next to the phone that simply says "shock call". A slogan that sharpens the senses.
Sabine Coenen-Kolberg thinks all of these ideas are good and important. But she also says: "It's hard to imagine what a call like this does to someone who hasn't experienced it themselves. I have repeatedly warned my mother, acquaintances and friends about such criminals. And then I almost fall for it myself."
