Police in Ludwigshafen have arrested a 19-year-old suspected of involvement in a series of call-centre frauds targeting older people. According to a joint press release from the public prosecutor’s office in Frankenthal and the Rheinpfalz police headquarters, the investigation began after 18 offences since January 2026, mostly in the Rheinpfalz police jurisdiction. The suspects allegedly posed as bank employees, claiming suspicious account activity and persuading victims to hand over their bank cards and PINs to “bank staff” who then appeared at their home addresses. The total damage is said to exceed 48,000 euros. Investigators believe the 19-year-old was involved in several of the offences. The public prosecutor’s office obtained search warrants for homes in Ludwigshafen and Worms, along with an arrest warrant. Police carried out the searches immediately. Officers seized six mobile phones, three blank-firing (Schreckschuss) weapons, a knuckle duster, a butterfly knife, two additional knives, and various ammunition. The 19-year-old was arrested by specialist units in Ludwigshafen. On Thursday, 15 October 2026, he was brought before a custody judge. A detention order was issued on an application by the public prosecutor’s office for suspected commercial gang fraud, and the accused was taken to a prison facility. The investigation is ongoing as part of the case into the alleged call-centre fraud series.