Money and Gold Coins

30,000 euros stolen: Senior citizen fell for a scam

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Using a classic “police officer” scam, fraudsters managed to swindle an 87-year-old man out of cash and gold coins worth a five-figure sum. The supposed law enforcement officers were actually on the wrong side of the law; they collected their loot and have been unreachable ever since.

An 87-year-old man from Zell an der Pram received a call on August 28 from someone posing as a detective. The caller led the retiree to believe that the police had caught a gang of burglars. They claimed to have found a note on the gang listing potential additional victims, and the 87-year-old’s name reportedly appeared on it as well.

Keep a low profile at home
A few days later, the victim received another call informing him that he should place his gold coins in front of his front door with as few fingerprints as possible, since they would be picked up by the detectives. He was also instructed to keep a low profile in the house and to be seen as little as possible. The retiree complied, and the coins were picked up by the unknown individuals.

Savings Accounts Closed
In yet another phone call a few days later, the perpetrators managed to persuade the man to close his savings accounts and, once again, leave the cash he had withdrawn from the bank on his front doorstep. That money, too, was picked up shortly afterward.

After the man heard nothing further from the supposed police officers, he began to suspect that he had been the victim of a scam and notified the police. There is no trace of the unknown perpetrators. The State Criminal Investigation Office has taken over the investigation.