A man specifically seeks out customers who already own a vacuum cleaner from the well-known company. The elderly victims in our cases willingly accept the services of the supposed employee, have their vacuum cleaners repaired if necessary and buy spare parts and accessories that do not belong to the company at overpriced prices.
It is only afterwards that the victims notice that cash or jewelry is missing from the apartment. In one of our cases, the perpetrator demanded a much too high bill, which was paid by the victim. In each case, the amount of damage is in the four-digit range.
Whether it is actually an employee of the Vorwerk company or whether he has merely assumed such a disguise is currently the subject of a criminal investigation.
What the police advise:
- Do not let strangers into your home. Ask strangers to come back at a later time and involve a trusted person.
- Look carefully at visitors through the peephole or window before opening the door. Only open the door to strangers when the locking bar is in place.
- Do not allow yourself to be put under pressure. Defend yourself vigorously against a possibly intrusive employee, speak to them loudly or call for help.
- If you see suspicious strangers in the building, do not hesitate to call the police on the emergency number 110.
Since elderly people are often affected by such crimes, the police ask that citizens who care for and look after elderly people talk to them about this form of fraud and pass on tips on how to behave to the police.
You can also request free information brochures from the police department for crime prevention/victim protection (Schillstraße 46, 46483 Wesel, Tel.: 0281 / 107 - 4420) to obtain comprehensive information about the crime area "Crimes against elderly people". It presents various crimes and gives tips on prevention.