Over 10,000 euros stolen

Fake policeman rips off Innsbruck woman (80)

A gang of fraudsters ripped off an 80-year-old woman in Innsbruck.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer, stock.adobe.com)

An 80-year-old woman from Innsbruck was ripped off by a gang of fraudsters on Tuesday. A fake policeman used a well-known scam to persuade the pensioner to plunder her account. The Tyrolean woman finally handed over more than 10,000 euros to a messenger.

At around 1.15 p.m. on Tuesday, the woman received a call from an unknown person claiming to be a police officer. "In a moderate Tyrolean dialect, he informed the 80-year-old woman that her daughter had been involved in a serious traffic accident and had subsequently been arrested," explained the police.

High five-digit euro amount demanded
In order to prevent her being taken into custody, a bail in the high five-figure euro range must now be paid. "The woman told the unknown perpetrator that she could not pay the amount demanded, but offered to pay a low five-figure euro amount," the real police said.

Met with "employee" of the public prosecutor's office
The pensioner was finally called on her cell phone by a "public prosecutor" and persuaded to meet with an employee. She was told to stay on the cell phone until the money was handed over. "The woman finally handed over the money to the alleged employee, who then left the location on foot," said the investigators. More than 10,000 euros are gone.