Authorities warn now

Flood: Fake fundraisers want to cash in

Some scammers are even wearing Red Cross uniforms (symbolic image).

(Bild: P. Huber)

Outrageous! In the Pielach Valley in Lower Austria, scammers are on the move, begging older people in particular for donations for flood victims ...

District governor Josef Kronister, himself a committed Henry Dunant disciple for many years, immediately alerted the police after observant Pielachtal residents raised the alarm. According to the report, scammers were on the move in Obergrafendorf in particular, but also in Weinburg, giving the impression that they were from the Red Cross or another aid organization. Their victims - mostly elderly citizens whose good faith and willingness to donate is shamelessly exploited. It is reported that the fake collector has even brazenly appeared in the uniform of a paramedic.

Police step up checks
"The Red Cross does not take cash," the top official of the central district in the vast country states unequivocally. His urgent appeal: if someone turns up at the door or anywhere else, alert the police immediately. The law enforcement officers at all posts in the region are also instructed to patrol sensitive areas accordingly!

Our volunteers are not allowed to and do not want to accept a cent in cash. The need of others is obviously being shamelessly exploited here.

Josef Kronister, Bezirks-hauptmann St. Pölten und Rotkreuz-Chef

"Helpers" demand money for shoveling
There is also outrage about foreign "shovelers" who demand money in the Strombad settlement of Kritzendorf near Klosterneuburg and are even outraged that Caritas is helping with a whole host of Syrian volunteers free of charge.