• Sweden edition
Business & Money

'Fake' grandkids held for conning 150 seniors

Published: 31 May 12 10:11 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/41160/20120531/

Two men have been held in northern Sweden on suspicion of repeatedly swindling elderly people by pretending to be their grandchildren.

The men were arrested in March and are now being held on remand for their crimes throughout northern and eastern Sweden, including Söderhamn, Hudiksvall, Sundsvall and Umeå, according to the Hudiksvalls Tidning newspaper.

“They have been very cunning and have played on weak points,” said Mikael Hedström of the Gävle police.

Police estimate that the men's elaborate scheme has netted them over one million kronor ($138,152) in cash and jewellery.

According to the paper, the men had carefully researched their victims before conning them.

“They’d done their homework. If the woman had a grandchild called Kristoffer, then the caller would ring and said ‘Hi Grandma, it’s Kristoffer,’” said Hedström to the paper.

After the news of the events has been made public, more and more elderly couples have called local police and made reports.

Five new reports were filed on Tuesday alone, and Police believe the pair may have conned up to 150 people.

One 98-year-old woman was relieved of 40,000 kronor by the con-artists, as well as jewellery valued at 10,000 kronor, thinking the money would go towards her grandchild’s car, wrote the paper.

However, it isn’t usually until the victims call to ask for their money back that they realize they’ve been tricked.

Police have also received reports from people contacted by the thieves, who suspected foul play and didn’t hand over their valuables.

The Local/og (news@thelocal.se)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

07:05 June 1, 2012 by ctinej
How sad. These crooked heartless people are probably from Eastern Europe need to be more exposed. LIke what are their names???
09:51 June 1, 2012 by comentatir
How the hell you reached the conclusion that they are from Eastern Europe?
10:36 June 1, 2012 by gpafledthis
ya gotta admit this has that "spicy" odor of the "east" !!!!
14:52 June 1, 2012 by johan rebel
The suspects are

Wladislaw Kaminski and Andrzej Mitkevich.

Did somebody say Eastern Europe?
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Business & Money headlines
Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Gas pipeline firm Nord Stream will hold an information meeting on the Baltic island of Gotland on Monday to introduce a proposal to extend its controversial gas pipeline project. READ () »

'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'

'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'

Sweden tops a list of countries that risk suffering a housing market crash, Germany's Commerzbank has warned, citing the slackening off of Swedish property prices as a harbinger of a potential downswing. READ () »

Solna voted best place to live in Sweden

Solna voted best place to live in Sweden

Solna, a suburb just north of Stockholm, is the best place to live in Sweden, according to a new ranking published on Friday by Swedish news magazine Fokus. READ () »

Ikea founder rated fifth richest in the world

Ikea founder rated fifth richest in the world

Ingrad Kamprad, the founder of Swedish furniture giant Ikea, finished fifth on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index published on Friday, with an estimated fortune of $55.6 billion. READ () »

LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill

LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill

A Swedish man is facing a five-million kronor ($750,000) add-on to his tax bill after the authorities took a proper look at his account on the professional networking site LinkedIn. READ () »

India in no rush to open first Ikea store

India in no rush to open first Ikea store

The first Ikea store to open in India may not be ready for years, with the India head of the Swedish furniture giant prepared to wait until the the perfect location is found for the first of the 25 planned stores. READ () »

H&M CEO to Bangladesh: raise minimum wages

H&M CEO to Bangladesh: raise minimum wages

H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson has urged Bangladesh to raise its minimum wage, adding the Swedish fashion giant is "willing to pay more" in the wake of a garment industry disaster which killed more than 1,100 people. READ () »

Pensioners to recruit ageing Swedish rockers

Pensioners to recruit ageing Swedish rockers

The Swedish Pensioners Association wants to cast off its "stuffy" image at the Sweden Rock festival, in a recruitment bid to set up a rock music subgroup of new members. READ () »

Sweden plummets in income equality ranking

Sweden plummets in income equality ranking

The living conditions of most Swedes have improved in recent decades, but income inequality is growing rapidly, according to a new OECD report, which saw Sweden drop 14 spots from its first place ranking in 1995. READ () »

Swedish shop hits back: our Converse are real

Swedish shop hits back: our Converse are real

Swedish retailer Coop has refuted complaints by US sneaker brand Converse that Coop stores are selling unauthorized pirated copies of the iconic footwear. READ () »

More Business & Money

Find a new job in Sweden now
20/05 Group Risk Manager
Humancapital
stockholm, STHM
20/05 Salgsassistent / Sales Assistant
Hoss Intropia
Copenhagen
20/05 Territory Manager - GastroIntestinal Solutions - Sweden/Finland
Covidien
Stockholm, STHM
19/05 Account Manager Sweden
Sollentuna
19/05 Lead Software Engineer, Environment
Linköping
19/05 Management Consultant to Global Business Services Advisory Services with Shared Services and Outsourcing Advisory experience
Stockholm
19/05 Manager for Application Management
Stockholm
19/05 Manger Intern Sales & Customer Service
Thule Group
SKÅ
19/05 Nordic Sales Executive Platform Computing
Kista
19/05 Quality Engineer
Stockholm

ALL JOBS »


 
Latest Business & Money news from Germany
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now