Fraud scandal in Hagenbrunn: Community employee turns out to be a fraudster!

Fraud scandal in Hagenbrunn: Community employee turns out to be a fraudster!

in Hagenbrunn, where a new elementary school is currently being built, a serious fraud has developed that makes the municipality excited. According to a report from noe.orf.at , a local construction company received an email from a supposed employee of the community in July 2024, which spoke up as "Sarah Solinger". She inquired about the open partial invoices, and the construction company indicated that 300,000 euros were still pending. However, this information was intercepted by a fraudster.

The fraudster finally changed identity and appeared as a "Christina Binder", which now made an invoice for 293,000 euros to the community and stated an Italian account number. Mayor Michael Oberschil said that this false identity faced the direct payment requests. The public prosecutor's office in Korneuburg has now initiated a procedure for serious fraud and money laundering. It is believed that the suspect is in Italy and the investigation is now concentrating on how the damage can be regulated.

fraud risks in construction

Such cases are unfortunately not new. As the Soester Anzeiger , the choice of a serious construction company can decide on the success or failure of a project. Many builders have suffered significant losses because they chose dubious companies. An example from the past shows how after a down payment for a building contract the quality of the work decreased, and communication broke off, many families leave with unfinished construction projects.

In order to prevent such fraud, it is crucial to research thoroughly before choosing a construction company. Warning signals such as unrealistically low offers, lack of references and unclear contractual conditions are indicators of potential fraud. Builders should not only rely on the cheapest offer, but also check the company's financial stability and reliability. A transparent documentation of all agreements and obtaining several offers could help to avoid unpleasant surprises.