Gerhard Schröder said he was tricked on a parking lot in Witten on Wednesday, 22 July, after a man asked for change and leaned into his car. He noticed missing banknotes only the next day. The 69-year-old later went back to the spot on Thursday and Friday, but did not meet the man again.
Schröder said the incident happened at about 15:00 on the parking lot of a food discounter on the Dortmunder Straße. He estimated the damage at about 30 to 40 euros. After he researched the case online, he said he found that the method was already known.
Gerhard Schröder am Dortmunder Straße
Schröder described the approach as a brief encounter at the car door. “Er hat sehr freundlich gefragt, ob ich ihm zwei Euro für den Einkaufswagen wechseln könnte.” He said the man opened the passenger-side door and leaned into the vehicle while he took out his wallet.
According to Schröder, the man then threw many 20-cent pieces into the wallet and asked where the nearest post office branch was. Schröder said later: “Da hätte ich schon stutzig werden können.” At the time, he said: “Ich habe nicht sofort Verdacht geschöpft.”
Polizei und fehlende Banknoten
Schröder said he noticed the missing banknotes only the next day. “Es ist ärgerlich, dass ich mich so habe übertölpeln lassen,” he said after checking the wallet. He also said: “Das war schon gut gemacht.”
He informed the Polizei, but did not file a complaint. “Das lohnt sich nicht,” he said, referring to the small amount involved. He said he wanted to warn others: “Es geht mir darum, andere zu informieren und zu schützen.”
Witten und die bekannte Masche
Schröder said he returned to the parking lot on Thursday and Friday to look for the man again, but did not find him. After looking up the case online, he said: “Ich habe gesehen, dass die Masche bereits bekannt ist.”
The case sits in a narrow but practical category: a short exchange request, a wallet opened in close reach, and enough distraction for banknotes to disappear without immediate alarm. For readers in Witten, the useful point is simple — a request for change at a parked car can be the whole setup, even when it sounds polite at first.
