In a heartbreaking incident, 73-year-old Gerda Feddern from Gram, Denmark, has experienced the nightmare of many parents. Gerda was defrauded of a substantial amount, totaling 29,100 Danish kroner (approximately $4,400), while trying to assist someone she believed was her daughter.
The event began on Thursday, July 17, at 2:15 PM, when Gerda received a message that read: “Hi Mom, my phone is broken. Save this new number,” followed by a heart emoji. Without suspicion, Gerda responded, and the conversation continued with a few innocent exchanges until the ‘daughter’ mentioned financial troubles. She requested her mother’s help in paying some contractor bills totaling 29,100 kroner.
The elderly woman, already in the process of borrowing money for her daughter’s construction project, did not have her guard up. This led her to overlook several signs of a scam, such as unusual spelling mistakes and an English-speaking voicemail when she attempted to call the number back.
“In hindsight, I should have caught on that something was wrong, but I didn’t. I transferred 29,100 kroner to the account number she provided,” recounts Gerda Feddern in an interview with JydskeVestkysten, a regional news outlet.
It was not until the following day, when Gerda spoke with an acquaintance at her local gym, that she realized she had been scammed. The acquaintance had inquired about a segment on Go’ Aften Danmark, a Danish television program, where a woman had been manipulated into transferring money to someone pretending to be her son.
“At that moment, it hit me. I knew something was wrong, so I just turned around and headed home. On the way, I called my daughter and the bank, but it was too late,” said a saddened Gerda.
Since then, Gerda and her husband have not seen any sign of the 29,100 kroner, and it is likely they never will. Nonetheless, Gerda has chosen to remain resilient, using her experience to warn others.
“Of course, I find it embarrassing and shameful, but I can’t change what has happened now. Therefore, I also choose to speak out. Now I can at least use this story to alert others,” she states, adding: “Every time there is awareness on this issue, hopefully, fewer people will fall victim.”
Earlier in July, TV 2 Fyn reported an increase in this type of scam, where fraudsters impersonate sons or daughters. Jesper Kracht, the center manager at NSIK (National Security and Cybercrime Center), informed TV 2 Fyn that there have been 419 reported cases nationwide, with total losses exceeding eight million kroner (approximately $1.2 million).
This serves as a reminder to everyone to be extra vigilant and skeptical of messages and calls that may seem unusual, even when they appear to come from close family members.
Tags: #ScamAwareness #FraudPrevention #DanishNews #ElderlySafety