Fraud on the Internet: Fake profile of Schönaich's mayor discovered!

Fraud on the Internet: Fake profile of Schönaich's mayor discovered!

On September 18, 2025, Anna Walther, the mayor of Schönaich, warned of a fake profile on Instagram that operates under the name “anna._walther”. This fake profile has minimal differences from her real profile “annwalther2021” and tries to lure users into a dubious WhatsApp group. Walther plans to take action against this identity abuse both via the platform and by reporting to the police. She expresses concern about the increase in such scams and calls for more security measures from social media.

Her experience is not the only one: She is the fourth town hall leader from the Böblingen district to be affected by this type of identity theft in the last three months. Ioannis Delakos from Holzgerlingen, Markus Kleemann from Sindelfingen and Stefan Belz from Böblingen had previously reported similar incidents. Krzbb.de reports that these incidents show the emergence of a security risk in the digital space.

Identity abuse on social media

The Hesse consumer advice center also warns of this problem. Fraudulent social media accounts often pose as celebrities and attempt to gain trust with investment tips and crypto investments. One example is a fake account belonging to Hanau Mayor Claus Kaminsky, which lured users into WhatsApp groups and charged fees for supposed investment recommendations. Hesse Consumer Center discussed this in a recent press release.

One strategy used by fraudsters is to use well-known names to spread fakes in the financial and healthcare sectors. The consumer advice center advises you to be particularly careful when requesting transfers to unknown accounts and to pay attention to the following indications of fraudulent profiles:

• Kurze Existenz des Accounts und begrenzte persönliche Informationen
• Profilname mit zusätzlichen Zeichen oder Zahlen
• Seltene Interaktion und ungewöhnliche Reaktionszeiten
• Mangelnde Aktivität auf dem Profil

Protection against cyber crime

To protect yourself from fraud, it is recommended to be suspicious of exaggerated promises or unusually high winnings. Before registering with trading platforms, you should do thorough research, for example through BaFin. If fraud is suspected, the consumer advice center advises stopping communication, blocking the profile and informing the police.

These incidents highlight the importance of being aware of the risks online and taking appropriate precautions. The mayor concerned's demands for better security precautions on social platforms seem all the more urgent in order to prevent such criminal activities in the future.