More and more cases

Duo took pensioners’ savings within minutes

These two suspects have been caught! Other gang members are still being sought.(Bild: Landespolizeidirektion Niederösterreich, Krone KREATIV)

A lifetime of savings - and lost within minutes to two Polish women: the con artists are now in custody!

Imagine your phone rings. The person says they are from the police and tells you about a terrible accident involving a beloved relative. At the end of the day, the perfidious caller only wants one thing - to rob elderly people of their cash and savings. And destroy their livelihoods in the process. Despite all the warnings, the number of cases is increasing. "Telephone fraud in various forms is like a pandemic," says one investigator.

Telephone fraud in various forms is like a pandemic.

Ein Ermittler

Sprightly pensioner trafficked women
The case of two Polish women is currently causing a stir! Mother and daughter are said to have used the scam 13 times throughout eastern Austria. 380,000 euros were "taken" from the victims. The son-in-law of a pensioner in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria) put a stop to the 41-year-old woman and her 19-year-old "fruit". The 75-year-old alerted him when she was deceived on the phone that her daughter had caused a fatal accident and could only be released on bail.

When the money was handed over, the son-in-law was already standing by and photographed the accused, who were acting as "pick-up girls" for a gang. This picture brought further crimes to light. However, there is no trace of the clients.

Fraud from Turkey
However, the people behind a Turkish brother and sister who stole a record sum of 1.5 million euros from a Viennese academic widow (82) were quickly tracked down. The duo is reportedly behind a gang of 30 suspects who lure pensioners across Europe into traps with shock calls from Turkish call centers.

In Horn (Lower Austria), however, the attempt was not successful! There too, "police officers" demanded a deposit of 192,000 euros over the phone because the daughter was involved in a fatal accident. During the conversation, a person present dialed the emergency number - when the fraudsters noticed this, they hung up.

Ultimately, however, banks as service providers cannot refuse to allow their customers to withdraw money.

Michael Ernegger, Vize-Generalsekretär des Bankenverbandes

Many customers throw caution to the wind
Michael Ernegger, Deputy Secretary General of the Austrian Bankers Association, emphasizes that counter staff are sensitized and - regularly trained - provide advice on risks: "Ultimately, however, as a service provider, banks cannot refuse to allow their customers to withdraw." Another insider regrets that older people in particular - despite urgent warnings - stubbornly insist on withdrawing their often entire savings. In several cases, however, this was prevented.