Wrong policeman captivates 200,000 euros from 81-year-old Viennese!

Wrong policeman captivates 200,000 euros from 81-year-old Viennese!

The Viennese police are currently looking for a "false police officer" who cheated an 81-year-old woman by almost 200,000 euros at the end of December 2024. The fraudsters outstanded by the phone and convinced the lady to withdraw money for alleged "trace evaluations" and hand over them. This fraudulent procedure is part of an alarming growing wave of fraud cases that affect seniors in particular.

To find the suspect, the authorities published a photo of a suspected accomplice. The investigation continues to run and the police appeal to the public to help with the investigation of the case. Information can be directed to the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, which can be reached on 01-31310-33800. Police spokeswoman Julia Schick emphasized the urgency of the investigation in this case.

growing fraud stitches

The scam is not new, but the number of cases in which criminals pretend to be police officers, according to reports from vienna.at and orf.at , alarming to. The perpetrators put victims, especially older people, under pressure to get them to withdraw high amounts of money and hand them over to the fraudsters.

This type of fraud reflects a disturbing global tendency. Statistics show that fraud of older people in 2023 led to a loss of $ 3.4 billion, with over 101,000 older victims. The most common types of fraud include tech support fraud and investment fraud, the latter causing the highest financial losses.

alarming statistics

Research results of VPNRANKS show that fraud cases have increased significantly from seniors from 2018 to 2023. The forecasts indicate that around 121,229 older people could be affected by fraud in 2025. In view of these worrying numbers, it is more important than ever to take prevention measures and to raise awareness of fraud stitches.

The police in Vienna therefore urgently warns of such fraud measures and calls on all citizens to report suspicious calls or contacts immediately. The victims are often under emotional pressure and are often unable to realistically assess the situation. It is crucial that relatives and friends of their older relatives actively seek the conversation and inform them about these dangers.