100-year-old German turns tables on trickster

BERLIN (AP) — This 100-year-old German woman was too sharp for a would-be trickster.

Police in Berlin said Tuesday they have arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of attempted fraud after being tipped off by the quick-witted retiree.

The woman had smelled a rat when she received a call Sunday from a woman claiming to represent a maintenance firm and offering to check her electrical appliances.

Instead of hanging up, the centenarian accepted the offer, then swiftly alerted the police.

Officers had little trouble arresting the man, whose name wasn’t given, when he showed up minutes later. The suspect, a convicted swindler, had been released from prison just five days earlier.

Police did not disclose details of the suspected fraud or the woman’s name.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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