Telephone fraud against the elderly continues to increase. Now the Police in the West will try to reverse the trend with free lectures for the elderly on how to expose the fraudsters.
– The problem of fraud against the elderly is not diminishing, says Peter Karlsson, volunteer coordinator at the police in Skaraborg.
IN THE PLAYER ABOVE: Hear the conversation between the scammer and the pensioner.
It is the police areas in Skaraborg and Halland that have been commissioned by the police in the West to run the pilot project where they have recently trained 22 volunteers who will lecture to the elderly.
Until the turn of the year, the pilot project with free lectures will continue and then be evaluated.
TV4 Nyheterna visited one of the first lectures, at PRO in Skövde.
– We give the elderly information so that they recognize themselves in the situation and notice that they are being deceived. In this way, we hope that we do not get completed frauds, says Peter Karlsson.
Margaretha: “A matter of the heart”
Last year, 21,582 phone scams were reported to the police, which was an increase of 86% compared to the year before, many of the victims were elderly people.
One of those who attended the lecture in Skövde was Margaretha Evertsdotter.
– I was very happy and I immediately wrote it down in my almanac. I have a cousin who lives in the same house and who couldn’t come here today, she asked me to take notes and take brochures so she also gets the information. This is very important and such a big heart issue that needs to get out.