Fraudster busted

Exorbitant price for thermal baths made victims suspicious

(Bild: APA/Barbara Gindl (Symbolbild))

It is probably thanks to an attentive 83-year-old woman and her 42-year-old grandson that two suspected fraudsters in Vienna have been taken off the streets. The suspects wanted the woman to believe that her boiler was broken and that she therefore needed a new appliance. The exorbitant price made the woman skeptical - grandma and grandson called the police.

The stumbling block was the horrendous repair price that the duo demanded for the allegedly defective boiler. The 83-year-old from Wieden was supposed to pay 18,000 euros. When she reacted suspiciously and spoke of usury, the two fraudsters lowered the costs to 7500 euros. The woman was asked to pay 2000 euros as a deposit for a new boiler, which the 83-year-old finally did.

Therme had no defect
Her skeptical grandson then contacted the police and reported the installers on suspicion of fraud. The suspicion was fueled by the fact that the boiler was not broken at all. Only the gas tap had been turned off, as the 42-year-old grandson found out.

An appointment was made for the delivery of the supposedly new boiler. Last Thursday, however, not only the alleged fraudsters turned up, but also the police. The two men, two Serbs aged 21 and 34 - the older is said to be the company owner - were provisionally arrested.

Account book reveals possible further fraud
According to the police, it is suspected that there may be other victims. This is revealed by a ledger of invoices, police spokesman David Pawlik said on Monday. "The two suspects are said to have been active in recent weeks or months," he specified.

Several thousand euros in cash were also found and seized. The two men have been released for the time being and further investigations are underway.