Criminals are checking online death announcements to find elderly people in grief and then calling them to try to steal money, according to the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK). The scammers claim the bereaved has inheritance, excess tax or pension from the deceased to collect, according to Berlingske.
They then ask for card number, expiry date and the three-digit security code, and finally require MitID approval. Victims are typically 80-90 years old.
"The scammers use information from death announcements, including family members' names and details about the death or funeral, to appear credible and manipulate the bereaved into believing the call is legitimate," said Vice Police Inspector Allan Lørup of NSK in a press release. He added: "It is deeply distasteful that criminals exploit people in grief to commit fraud. We encourage children and other relatives to talk to bereaved spouses about being especially vigilant. Authorities won't call to ask for money transfers or card/MitID details. Police advise hanging up and contacting the relevant company or authority directly. Police are conducting a preliminary investigation.
In other news, a serious traffic accident has led to several road closures in Taastrup. Roskildevej is completely closed at Holbækmotorvejen, and the on- and off-ramps to exit 4 Roskildevej Øst on the motorway towards Copenhagen are also closed, according to P4 Trafik. The Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet) says the closure will last until 12:00.
Ekstra Bladet is seeking comment from Copenhagen West Region Police.
Earlier this morning, flight traffic over Copenhagen Airport was halted for about half an hour a short power outage combined with fog, according to airport traffic chief Samuel Rude. "Safety is always our first priority," he said in a written comment to DR. Two flights were redirected to Malmö Airport in Sweden.
Traffic has now returned to normal.
Travel information
- Roads: Trafikinfo. Trains: DSB. Copenhagen Airport: cph.dk.