Dangerous scam

Tricksters deceive senior citizens out of millions

A series of serious thefts had been committed in the three federal states - the duo have now been arrested.(Bild: Matthias Balk / dpa / picturedesk.com)

The damage allegedly caused by two suspected con artists from Germany in Lower and Upper Austria and Salzburg is estimated at one million euros. The fraudsters pretended to be employees of a telecommunications company. The duo's victims were mostly elderly people.

Two fraudsters from Germany are said to have used a nasty scam to enrich themselves, causing damage amounting to one million euros in three federal states. They committed a series of serious thefts starting in the summer months of 2020.

Faking maintenance work
The two men, aged 36 and 37, always followed the same pattern: They allegedly pretended to be employees of a telecommunications provider over the phone and pretended to their victims - mostly elderly pensioners - that they had to carry out checks and maintenance work on lines.

Once the two suspects had been granted access to the residential premises, one of the two fraudsters is said to have distracted the residents while the second searched for valuables and stole them or at least attempted to do so. According to the police, the duo mainly stole jewelry and cash - in most cases, they only attempted to do so. 

Theft proven in three federal states
According to investigators from the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation, the suspects were able to prove 14 facts from the second half of 2020. The crime scenes are mainly located in several districts in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Salzburg.

The 36-year-old was arrested in Germany on June 28 of this year on the basis of an EU arrest warrant issued by the St. Pölten public prosecutor's office and extradited to Austria on Tuesday. He refused to make a statement and was taken to the prison in St. Pölten.

A 37-year-old German had already been arrested in his home country in November 2022 for a similar offense and is in custody there, according to the Lower Austria Provincial Police Directorate.