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Tricksters in Austria: Millions in damage and elderly victims
Tricksters from Germany leave millions in damages in Austria. Find out more about the crimes, the victims and the arrest of the perpetrators in this insightful article.
Tricksters in Austria: Millions in damage and elderly victims
In recent months, a fraudulent duo from Germany has caused a stir in several Austrian federal states. The estimated damage caused by the two men is over one million euros. Most of their victims were elderly people who let the fake telecommunications workers into their homes, assuming they were carrying out necessary work.
The fraudulent scam used by the two men began in the summer of 2020. By providing false information about necessary inspections or maintenance work, they managed to get into the apartments of their targets. While one of the men distracted the residents, the other searched the living quarters for valuables. The state police confirm that 14 acts by the duo from the second half of 2020 could be proven.
The trail of thefts
The investigators from the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office have looked into the incidents intensively. The crime scenes extend across various districts in Lower Austria, such as Melk, Mistelbach and Mödling. Thefts were also committed in the city of St. Pölten as well as in Wiener Neustadt and Krems an der Donau. The cities of Linz and Wels in Upper Austria as well as Salzburg and the surrounding area were also affected.
The thieves mainly targeted jewelry and cash, although there were also cases where they simply tried to steal the items without being successful. However, these illegal activities did not go unnoticed and the authorities are now on the trail of the suspects.
Arrest and legal consequences
The two men were arrested recently after extensive investigations. The 36-year-old perpetrator was caught in Germany on June 28th this year, based on an EU arrest warrant from the St. Pölten public prosecutor's office. After he was transferred to the Austrian prison without making a statement, it remains to be seen how the case will develop. His accomplice, the 37-year-old, was arrested in Germany in November 2022 for similar offenses and is in custody there.
Police see these two men as a significant threat, especially to vulnerable groups in society, such as the elderly, who are often the targets of such scams. Details on the cases identified so far and the current situation can still be found in the reporting on www.vol.at.