Public prosecutor’s office is charging multiple grandchildren trick fraud
At the beginning of May 2021, the Zurich canton police had an alleged phone fraudster in the city of Zurich in connection with a grandchildren trick fraud call (see press release of the Zurich canton police dated May 10, 2021). The permanent, now 64-year-old Pole was suspected of being part of a network of grandchildren trick scammers. The public prosecutor’s office subsequently opened a criminal investigation into the man and, together with the Zurich canton police, checked whether he could possibly be considered for further fraudulent offenses.
The Zurich-Sihl public prosecutor’s office has now completed the criminal investigation and on January 6, 2022, brought charges against the accused of commercial fraud in several cases at the Zurich District Court. In the case, the public prosecutor’s office accuses them of having been involved in two accomplished grandchildren in the city of Zurich and of having received the illegally acquired money from the senior citizens. The procedure was practically identical in both cases: the perpetrators first contacted the senior citizens by telephone and misleadingly pretended to be their grandchildren. Under clever pretense of false facts (health emergency due to Covid disease with an urgent need for money for treatment costs)
The total offense in both cases is around 45,000 francs (around 30,000 francs in cash and around 15,000 francs in jewelry). The public prosecutor throws three of the accused
Fraud attempts in the city of Zurich based on a similar pattern were also made in spring 2021, although no money was handed over. The presumption of innocence applies until a final judgment has been reached.
An unconditional imprisonment of 6 years and an order for expulsion from the country of 12 years are requested for those who are currently in custody with the accused.