Valais grandmother accused of stealing CHF 50,000

Wednesday, 15 February 2023 06:30

An elderly woman has been convicted of theft after taking more than CHF 50,000 from a friend’s bank account by pretending to be her.

The 80-year-old grandmother in canton Valais would visit the victim in her room at the care home they shared, take her ID card then go to a UBS branch in either Crans-Montana or Sierre and withdraw cash from the account.

Police say she did that around 24 times.

Her ruse was helped by the widespread use of masks during the pandemic.

She was caught after a bank worker became suspicious.

She’s been fined by a court and ordered to pay the money back. But she used it to pay off debts, so it’s unlikely the victim will be repaid.

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