Vacation or rip -off? Duisburg senior citizens fall for fraud!

Vacation or rip -off? Duisburg senior citizens fall for fraud!

In May 2025, two senior citizens from Duisburg report on their most recent experience, which is characteristic of the dangers of fraud mesh that are often directed against older people. The two women originally planned a trip to the Netherlands, which was announced in October 2024. The excursion should include breakfast, lunch and visits to a garden center, a supermarket and a pharmacy.

on November 5, 2024, early in the morning at six o'clock, the women were picked up by a van. Instead of the promised trip to the Netherlands, however, they ended in a hotel in Bad Bentheim. There was a sales event that they had not expected.

Surprising sales event

In this hotel there were unpleasant surprises. One of the senior citizens acquired a mattress for 900 euros, which according to the provider supposedly had a value of 2,000 euros. Another presentation offered travel for 80 euros, which, however, were associated with additional "placement fees" of 120 euros per trip. The 76-year-old finally bought five short trips for a total of 1,000 euros. Her girlfriend decided on a Usedom trip, which cost a total of 1,100 euros in cash.

Since the women had not brought enough cash with them, they were brought to an ATM after visiting the garden center. In the evening they signed forms without ever really understanding the content. Unfortunately, you should soon find out that you were eating fraud.

hidden dangers for seniors

In January 2025, the senior citizens received mail from the travel company, which requested a deposit of 49.90 euros per booked trip. When consulting the consumer advice center, they found frighteningly that the travel offers were package tours without a travel safety certificate. This meant that in the event of the provider's bankruptcy, they were not entitled to repayment.

fraudsters often target seniors and use their loneliness and helpfulness. Methods such as "grandchildren" are widespread. Here, fraudsters vary as grandchildren or relatives and describe emergencies to steal cash. In such cases, seniors should be careful and inform about the identity of the caller and keep consulting with other family members.

Other common fraud forms are also lurking in the form of shock calls, where callers pretend to have emergency situations, or by false police officers who demand money for supposed security measures. Phishing and trick fraud on the front door are also common methods to get and cheat on personal apartments. These fraud stitches are not only dangerous for the persons concerned, but also disgrace trust in interpersonal relationships.

The consumer organization recommends seniors to be suspicious for suspects or offers and only deal with reputable providers and information. In the event of suspected cases, the police should be informed immediately.

The stories of senior citizens from Duisburg are a clear reminder to be careful and to find out about possible fraud stitches. The consumer advice centers are available as an important point of contact.

For more information about current fraud, especially senior citizens, offers Derwesten.de