Fraud scams

Woman “relieved” of 30,000 euros by fraudsters

A 61-year-old woman from Flachgau fell victim to internet fraudsters. At the beginning of September, she was contacted by unknown persons via a messaging service and tricked into installing remote maintenance software.

At the request of the perpetrators, she made several transfers to foreign accounts. The amount of loss so far is at least 30,000 euros. Due to the irregularities, the bank blocked the account. The woman filed a complaint. The investigation is ongoing.

Money and jewelry stolen in con artist scam
Meanwhile, two con artists from Germany, aged 36 and 37, were arrested. They were found guilty of 14 frauds in Lower and Upper Austria as well as in Salzburg (Flachgau and Stadt). They began committing serious thefts in the second half of 2020, posing as maintenance staff from telecommunications companies and stealing jewelry and money worth almost one million euros. When the two gained access to buildings, one distracted the occupants while the other searched for loot.

The 36-year-old was arrested in Germany on June 28 on the basis of an EU arrest warrant issued by the St. Pölten public prosecutor's office and extradited to Austria on Tuesday. The 37-year-old is now being held in his home country. He was previously arrested in November 2022 for a similar offense.