Gigantic rip-off

Hope for victims of “financial service providers”

Victims of dubious financial platforms can contact the consumer protection department of AK Vorarlberg.(Bild: AK Vorarlberg)

A number of people in Vorarlberg have also entrusted their savings to the various platforms of "BARAK" and "LENHOFF" and lost a lot of money in the process. Now the Association for Combating Cybercrime against Retail Investors and Consumers (EFRI) is asking victims who have lost €3,000 or more to come forward.

When the dream of quick money leads to financial ruin: Countless people in German-speaking countries have been taken in by the criminal financial service providers "Gai BARAK" and "Uwe LENHOFF" via various platforms, including several people from Vorarlberg. Paul Ruschnig, consumer protection officer at the Vorarlberg Chamber of Labor, has repeatedly had to deal with such cases in recent years, with some of the scams threatening people's livelihoods: Mr. A. was defrauded of 270,000 euros, Mr. B. lost 200,000 euros. A woman from Dornbirn lost around 47,000 euros, a man from Götzn 191,000 euros, a man from Montafon even lost more than 270,000 euros and a man in Walgau almost 30,000 euros. The list goes on and on.

Doubly perfidious: there are now so many victims of online scams that criminals have turned it into a business model. They eloquently offer help to the victims, but demand an advance payment in return - of course, nothing happens. The data of victims has long since become a coveted commodity among fraudsters.

A reputable address: the EFRI initiative
The EFRI initiative has been fighting against this excessive rip-off for years. With campaigns, in court, side by side with consumer protection and the Federal Criminal Police Office. EFRI is currently looking for victims who have lost 3000 euros or more through the payment service provider "Payvision BV". The background: the public prosecutor's office in Cologne has seized several million euros from "P2P GmbH" - an illegal money collection point to which victims had transferred money. It has been agreed with the public prosecutor's office that victims from Austria can also file claims via EFRI. There is no guarantee of success, participation is voluntary. There are no costs - only in the event of success is 15 percent of the reimbursement to be paid to the litigation funder. 

Victims in Vorarlberg who require further information should contact Paul Rusching at AK Vorarlberg (Tel. 050 258 DW 3024, e-mail [e-mail]).