New scam

Burgenland residents fall victim to a fake son

Brazen fraudsters are trying to cash in on families on a grand scale with a new "father-son trick". The reports are piling up, the investigators warn.

Using cell phone text messages, the criminals cleverly pretend to need their parents' help with urgent bank transfers in the name of the victims' children.

The number of cases is increasing in Burgenland. Now a father has fallen into the trap and lost a lot of money to the unknown perpetrators. The investigators warn. "Hello, dad! This is my new cell phone number!"

No suspicion aroused
The trouble started on Thursday with this fake text message. Without arousing suspicion, a father from the Oberpullendorf district saved the supposed current 0681 number of his son.

The next day, the man received the next message with an urgent request to transfer more than 2,000 euros express to a bank account - IBAN included.

Unsuspecting, the man from Burgenland immediately complied with the seemingly credible request.

And another 3000 euros, please ...
Even when his "son" asked for a photo of the money transfer, the victim did not become suspicious. It was only after the father of the family was asked to make a further deposit of almost 3000 euros that serious doubts arose.

After a phone call with the real son, it quickly became clear that the scammers were at work. But by then it was already too late.

"The express transfer can no longer be reversed," said the bank. The money is gone!

Almost at the same time, the same perpetrators presumably tried to trap another family man from the Oberpullendorf district.

Fraud attempt reported
But the 53-year-old saw through the trick and immediately reported the attempted fraud to the police. "The daddy-daughter/son scam is particularly common at the moment. The reports are piling up," warn investigators.

The good advice to affected parents: "Before hastily transferring money, simply make a quick call to your daughter or son to clarify whether it is a scam or not."