On Wednesday 2 August 2023, the Grand Ducal Police announced that two cases have been reported to them about separate incidents on Monday 31 July in Steinfort and Strassen, in which a man followed people home unnoticed after they had bought something from a shopping centre / supermarket.
Once at their homes, he claimed to be an employee of the shop and claimed that the victim had paid €100 too much and that he was there to refund the money. The victims were then asked to insert their credit card into a card reader and enter the pin number with the aim of acquiring bank card information. In both cases, the perpetrator also tried to get inside the house, either by asking for a glass of water or by offering to carry the victims' purchases inside. In one of the cases, this was successful and the perpetrator stole the victim's bank cards.
In both cases, the perpetrator spoke French.
The police have reminded the public that, in order to avoid becoming a victim of a similar scam, they recommend following these tips:
- Do not let strangers into your apartment or house
- Never give out personal information
- Do not give bank cards to strangers
- In such cases, never enter the pin on a device
- Immediately inform the police on the emergency number, tel: 113
- Have the bank card blocked immediately
- Victims should file a complaint with the police if they have been harmed
