From "soldier" in Syria

Mysterious suitcase cost Carinthian woman 60,000 euros

Symbolic image

(Bild: thinkstockphotos.de)

Love is blind. A supposed American soldier took advantage of this and stole a small fortune from a 64-year-old Carinthian woman.

In October 2023, the 64-year-old woman from Klagenfurt met a man on social media who told her that he was an American soldier on deployment in Syria. "In the course of getting to know each other, the two became very close; the police have several hundred pages of conversations," said a police officer. He had also promised to visit her in Carinthia.

"Soldier" wanted to send important suitcase to Carinthia
The elderly lady was therefore unlikely to have become suspicious when the supposed soldier asked her to accept a suitcase he had sent with important documents and cash and to keep an eye on it until he came to collect it. According to him, the suitcase would not be safe in the camp in Syria. "Subsequently, the woman was contacted by a supposed delivery company and asked to transfer money because the suitcase would have to pass through several payment stations," the police continued.

Over 60,000 euros transferred
For months, the 64-year-old repeatedly transferred money to bank accounts with Spanish, Belgian and Austrian IBAN numbers. "In total, the woman transferred over 60,000 euros between October 2023 and February 2024 using various payment methods." The suitcase in question never arrived.