Thousands of euros gone

How the cyber mafia is cashing in big again

Fraudsters on the net take money out of their victims' pockets

(Bild: www.picturedesk.com/Eva Manhart/APA, stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

Thousands of euros are gone! Fraudsters are using the Internet for their scams. Just recently, a woman was scammed out of a four-digit euro sum, and now a 61-year-old man from the Waldviertel region has 11,000 euros less in his account. The police warn of further coups!

"We have noticed suspicious movements on your account", with these alarming words a self-appointed employee of a payment service provider contacted a 45-year-old woman from the Horn district. The "helper" then installed various apps on the victim's cell phone. After confirming remote access to the woman's cell phone, the stranger carried out two transfers to a German account at lightning speed. "The loss is in the lower four-digit euro range, the investigation is ongoing," said the police.

Another cheeky coup is also being investigated. Advertisements for the "perfect investment" are circulating on social media. After registering on such websites, victims are quickly contacted and asked by telephone to make transfers to various foreign accounts.

11,000 euros scammed
In one case, a 61-year-old man from the district of Gmünd transferred a total of 11,000 euros between January and April. The trick: it is pretended that the deposited amounts will very quickly yield high profits. After requesting the payout, contact is suddenly broken off and the people involved can no longer be reached.

Police tip: Beware of investment forms that promise enormous returns!