Data of 45 victims

Hundreds of thousands of euros in losses through phishing

A 30-year-old phishing fraudster from Germany is said to have obtained the bank details of his victims by text message, causing several hundred thousand euros of damage. Together with four other suspects, he was investigated by the Upper Austrian State Criminal Police Office and arrested in Germany.

From November 7 to 17, 2023, a fraudster from Essen allegedly withdrew hundreds of thousands of euros from several banks in Innsbruck. By sending phishing text messages to his victims telling them to update their account details, he allegedly obtained the bank details of 45 people and made 247 cash withdrawals and 38 transfers.

Further fraud in February
He is also suspected of transferring several hundred thousand euros from a victim's savings account to the account of a 48-year-old Bulgarian woman living in Germany in February 2024. The police were only able to find part of this amount.

Four accomplices
The Upper Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation tracked down the German during investigations into a Dutch group of phishing fraudsters. In addition, four Romanians who withdrew money transferred by him in their home country are suspected of fraud. The 30-year-old is in custody in Germany, his suspected accomplices are at large.