Protects woman from fraud

Courageous cab driver honored for civil courage

(Bild: Stadt Klagenfurt)

A cab driver in Klagenfurt saved an elderly lady from a scam. He has now been honored for his civil courage.  

 René Hering is celebrated as a hero. For good reason. Because the cab driver protected an elderly lady from fraudsters. He took the woman to two banks and when she wanted to get out, he asked who she was waiting for. When she told him that she was not allowed to tell him anything, he became suspicious. Two subsequent phone calls confirmed his suspicions, according to the police. "She was on the phone to scammers." 

"The woman on the other end of the phone became aggressive when she seemed to realize that René Hering was not going to leave his customer alone." And so the Klagenfurt cab operator called off the money transfer, informed the police and took the woman home. It turned out that she had dementia and needed 24-hour care. As the carer was at a doctor's appointment, the lady was unattended and left the house alone. 

The Carinthian cab driver has now been honored. "René Hering has shown exemplary behavior! In times like these, civil courage can no longer be taken for granted, which is why it is important to me to bring people like him to the fore. I would like to express my sincere thanks for this commitment," said Mayor Christian Scheider.