Online fraud

Supposed “job” costs Tyrolean hundreds of euros

A 45-year-old man from Innsbruck has been taken in by a perfidious form of online fraud. The local man was offered that he would receive "commission" for product tests. But things turned out differently than expected ...

According to the police, the 45-year-old Austrian was contacted on All Saints' Day via a messenger service by a stranger who made him a "job offer": he was to carry out product tests for the website of a well-known online mail order company and receive commission in return. When the Innsbruck resident agreed, he received a link to the supposedly official website of the online store and registered there. 

Initially, "commissions" were still received
The local man then bought several products and rated them, making several payments in the process. He also received his promised "commission" for two "orders", but then came a nasty surprise: he was told that his "merchant account" had been blocked due to an error and that he should now make further payments. 

The man became suspicious and did not transfer any more money, but instead filed a complaint with the police on Wednesday. The loss he suffered as a result of the alleged fraud is in the four-digit euro range.